


Destiny of a Hunter

by gothclark



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-09
Updated: 2010-10-09
Packaged: 2017-10-12 13:16:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/125215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gothclark/pseuds/gothclark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean's idyllic life is about to be shattered. One year later, Dean is ready to move on, but something is out to get revenge. On his wedding day, Castiel saves him from the new demon bent on destroying Dean's life, but with his fiancé Lisa caught in the middle, Dean is hell bent on getting to the bottom of what's really going on. Castiel along with Dean, Bobby, and much to everyone's surprise Crowley must once again save the day. With demons after them, and Castiel fighting heaven for his place in the ranks of the angels, Dean finds himself stumbling into Castiel's arms when things get bad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Destiny of a Hunter

Dean had reminders of his old life written on his body.

He stood shirtless in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection, the handprint on his shoulder stark against his skin. It hadn't faded over time. If anything, it seemed to have grown darker, redder. Dean brushed his fingers across the scar and felt a chill go up his spine. It seemed like it happened so long ago, and there were times when he forgot he even had the mark on him. Now, standing there before the mirror, he reached to cover the print with his own hand and thought about the man who had marked him for life.

Dean shook the thought from his mind, took a deep breath, and walked to where the tuxedo shirt and jacket lay across the bed. He picked up the shirt and slipped it on, doing up the buttons as he remembered. It was a year to the day since he'd driven into that cemetery in Hull. The Impala sat in the garage now, a reminder of everything he'd lost, just like the bracelet on his wrist. His brother had given it to him long ago, when Dean was a different person.

He was no longer that person. He was a father, and today he would officially become a husband. He took the silk tie in his hand, slid it around his neck, and began to knot it with slow, careful movements.

There was a knock at the door.

"Dean, are you ready?" Lisa's friend Stacey called through the door.

Dean took a deep breath and let it out, releasing all the tension building up from his melancholy state. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

Dean waited for the footfalls to fade before he walked across the room and stood once again before the mirror to finish knotting his tie. A familiar shock of black hair and dark eyes reflected in the mirror caught his attention. Dean spun around to find Castiel, Angel of the Lord, just a few inches behind him, invading Dean's personal space.

"Hello, Dean," Castiel said with a ghost of a smile.

They stood almost nose-to-nose, Dean's mouth open in surprise. He hadn't expected to see Castiel again in his lifetime and attributed the racing of his heart to Castiel's sudden appearance.

"Cas," Dean said with a grin. He looked Castiel up and down, taking in the familiar trench coat and dark suit. The tie was still backwards, and hung loose around Castiel's neck. The black shock of hair stuck out in all directions, just as it always did, and Dean noted that Castiel had a present in his hand. He held it out to Dean.

"This is for you," Castiel said.

Dean took the offered gift, they stood in silence for a moment, and then Dean had to look away from the intense gaze. He stared down at Castiel's chest, remembering the time when he'd carved symbols into the pale white flesh.

"What are you doing here?" Dean asked, and then wished he hadn't spoken so quickly when he saw what he could have sworn was a flash of hurt in Castiel's expression. He averted his eyes again.

"You didn't truly think I would miss this day," Castiel said, leaning forward to catch Dean's attention. Dean lifted his gaze and managed a feeble smile.

"Thanks," Dean said. They stood for a moment, the silence between them hanging heavy in the air. Dean cleared his throat and broke the awkward moment. "You can't go down looking like that." Setting the present down on the bed behind him, he reached out to straighten Castiel's tie, tightening the knot and leaning back to be sure that it was perfectly straight. He smoothed Castiel's shirt and jacket with one hand, and then stopped when he realized that his actions were bordering on copping a feel. It was just so good to see him. Dean cleared his throat and Castiel took a step back to put some distance between them.

"I apologize for invading your personal space once again," Castiel said with a rueful grin.

"It's cool," Dean said and waved a dismissive hand at Castiel, though he got the distinct impression that Castiel wasn't sorry. Dean chuckled and then turned to stand before the full-length mirror. He set to work on finishing his own tie, watching Castiel's reflection instead of his own. Castiel's gaze moved around the room, his expression unchanged as he took in the decor, and then up at the ceiling as though he were expecting something to jump out from the woodwork.

"Before you go thinking I've gone all mushy, the place is all Lisa," Dean said with a grin.

"Is there anything of yours?" Castiel asked.

"The garage," Dean said, distracted by a crease in his shirt. He finished straightening his tie and spun around to face Castiel, arms held up. "What do you think?"

"You look..." Castiel tilted his head and examined Dean. "Beautiful."

Dean lowered his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Beautiful?" He looked in the mirror behind him then turned back to Castiel. "You don't tell another guy he looks beautiful. Handsome, maybe, or cool or great." Dean shook his head, and scooped up his jacket, slipping it on. He pulled his cuffs straight and took a deep breath, eyeing Castiel.

"You look... cool," Castiel said.

Dean nodded and pursed his lips. That would have to do. He slapped Castiel on one shoulder and gave it a manly squeeze. "It's good to see you, Cas."

Castiel reached out and mirrored Dean's slap and squeeze. "It is good to see you as well, Dean."

They left the room, Castiel close behind Dean - too close. Dean paused in the hallway and turned to look at Castiel, thinking that maybe he should have been more concerned about why Castiel had appeared today of all days.

"Is something up?" Dean asked. "Is that why you're here?"

Castiel narrowed his eyes and shook his head once. "No," he said, though he sounded unsure.

Dean stopped at the bottom of the stairs and watched Lisa's friends hustle about in preparation for the big day. The wedding was small and intimate, and they were all Lisa's family and friends. Dean had tried inviting someone, but he hadn't gotten back to Dean.

Ben sat on the sofa with his cell phone in his hand and his attention locked on the screen.

"That's Ben," Dean said pointing him out to Castiel, who then gave Dean a knowing look. "But you probably already know that seeing as you're up on your fluffy cloud and all."

"I know everyone here," Castiel said.

"No, you don't," Dean said, pointing a finger at Castiel as warning. "I have to introduce you to everyone and you're...."

Castiel stared at Dean for a moment with an unsure expression then fished inside his trench coat pocket, pulling out a wallet. He flipped it open, this time right side up, and flashed it at Dean.

"I am a visiting friend who works for the FBI," Castiel said, pointing to the badge that Dean had made for him once in another lifetime. Taken aback that Castiel still carried the thing in his pocket, Dean felt a lump form in his throat as the memory of the day they took that picture overwhelmed him. He still remembered all the questions Castiel asked about why they needed to make up a fake identity.

Dean cleared his throat and pushed the badge down. "You won't need to flash that here, but it's a good cover." Dean took the last few steps down to the main floor and walked over to the sofa where Ben sat caught up in text messaging. He tapped Ben on the shoulder and the boy stood, turning his attention to Dean.

"Ben," Dean said. "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Castiel."

"Hi," Ben said with a wave.

Dean elbowed Castiel when he didn't respond to Ben's greeting.

"Hello, Ben," Castiel said, reaching out to shake Ben's hand. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you." Ben looked from Dean to Castiel then took the offered hand.

"Ben is my best man," Dean said. He slung his arm over Ben's shoulders and squeezed him once before letting him go. He wasn't Dean's kid, but it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Dean still adored him as if he were his own.

"Mom looks fantastic," Ben said.

"I bet she does," Dean said. "Are you ready for best man duties?"

"Yes," Ben said with obvious excitement.

"Super," Dean said patting Ben on the shoulder. When had he gotten so tall? At eleven, Ben was shooting up right before Dean's eyes. He was handsome and as precocious as Dean was at that age. It was hard to believe sometimes that he wasn't Dean's child.

"After the wedding, do I get to drive your car?" Ben asked.

"Get out of here," Dean said. He wagged a finger at Ben. "I told you not until you're legal." He smacked Ben on the shoulder and nudged him toward the glass doors that exited to the backyard. Dean watched him walk out to the backyard where they were holding the ceremony, and then he took a deep breath and followed. Stopping at the glass doors, he looked up to the sky then back at Castiel.

"Hmm," Castiel said, shouldering past Dean to walk outside. Dean followed close behind him. The sunny day had grown overcast, and Dean looked up with apprehension at the clouds that had rolled in while he'd been up in the bedroom. The Pastor and twelve guests that had been invited to the wedding all looked to Dean.

"Maybe we should take this inside," said Tracy, Lisa's maid of honor.

"Cas," Dean said gesturing at the sky. "Can't you pull some strings or something?"

"This is not natural," Castiel said, looking at Dean. "I already 'pulled some strings' to ensure this would be a perfect day."

Dean frowned at Castiel and glanced back up to the sky. The few guests were all looking up at the way the clouds blackened and seemed to speed across the sky, headed straight for them as though they had a mission.

Castiel's expression went grim and he stiffened his back, turning to face the house. Dean followed his line of sight to find Lisa standing in the doorway. She looked fantastic, as Ben had said. Dean hadn't seen the dress before the wedding since Lisa was all about tradition. It was a white floor-length satin dress tight at the waist, with a few layers of satin and sheer fabric for a skirt. The gossamer veil that sat on the top of Lisa's head trailed behind, leaving her beautiful face exposed.

A crash of thunder ripped through the air and a bolt of lightning shot from of the sky, severing the white trellis. The delicate flowers and hanging ivy sprayed the air, spattering the pastor and guests. Dean rushed forward to cover Ben but ended up being flung through the air to smash against the high wooden fence surrounding the backyard. Castiel stood between Ben and Lisa with his hand held up. Dean watched as her soft brown eyes went pitch black and she smiled wickedly. Dean felt dread grow in his chest as he realized he should have insisted on tattoos.

Lisa tore the white wedding veil from her head and tossed it to the ground. "Did you really think you could have it all, Dean," she sneered. The necklace to prevent possession that Dean had given her was gone from her neck. Holding it up in one hand, she dropped it to the ground and stomped on it with one bare foot, crushing it into the grass with a vicious twist of her leg.

All the guests, their eyes now blackened with demon possession, advanced toward Castiel and Ben, who backed away from them until they were beside Dean, standing where he still lay sprawled on the ground. The wind whipped around them now and the black clouds swirled above the house, like a funnel.

Dean kept thinking it was a nightmare. It had to be. Any second, he would wake up and everything that had happened would be a dream. He squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them again. Nothing had changed.

Lisa stood with her hands on her hips, a smug expression on her face. The possessed wedding party stood behind her, and Lisa held an arm up to stop one of them from rushing at Dean and Castiel.

"Cas," Dean called out over the roaring wind. Dean scrambled to his feet and pushed Ben behind him, standing beside Castiel.

"I planned for this, Castiel," Lisa said, lip curled with hate. She gathered some of the white lace and silk fabric of the wedding dress in one hand and stood with her chin in the air.

Castiel held up his hand and began to chant something in Enochian. One of Lisa's possessed friends rushed at them, but stopped in her tracks. Within seconds, black smoke spewed from all the guests' mouths. Dean watched them collapsed to the ground- all except Lisa. She remained standing, eyes still black as night.

"You may have been able to expel the others but you will not expel me," Lisa said. She moved forward and Castiel moved to intercept her, his hand held up palm out. Dean knew what Castiel intended, but if he touched Lisa that could burn her body, and he couldn't let that happen. He gripped Castiel's arm and tried to force it down, but the angel wouldn't budge.

"Cas, don't!" Dean said, urging him to stop. Castiel lowered his arm and stood his ground, as Lisa moved into his space and came almost nose to nose with him.

The black smoke converged on them again and streamed back into the guests, forcing their mouths open. The repossessed guests stood and fell in behind Lisa, their anger-filled eyes focused on Castiel.

"You will not get away with this, demon spawn," Castiel said.

Dean still had a grip on Castiel's arm and tugged on him. "Maybe right now is not the time for name-calling."

"What's the matter, pretty boy angel," Lisa said. "Did we spoil your track record?"

"Get out of her now," Castiel ordered. His voice boomed through the air, and a few of the demon-possessed guests clutched at their ears, grabbing at their abdomens and, doubling over in pain. Dean felt the echo through his contact with Castiel and released his grip to fall back behind Castiel, pulling Ben with him. There was almost no room for them to maneuver, but Dean managed to keep between Ben and the others.

"Dad," Ben called out. Dean turned to find Ben grinning at him, eyes as black as the others were. He'd been possessed while Dean's back was turned.

"No," Dean said, shaking his head in despair. With his back against Castiel, they stood surrounded and, though Dean knew Castiel could do a permanent expulsion on them, he was sure that Castiel would never hurt these people.

"What do you want?" Castiel said.

Dean could sense the edge of anger in his tone. He turned his head to see Lisa reach out to grip Castiel's chin in one hand, give him a squeeze, and then slap his cheek.

"We want you to get lost. We want this world to be ours again and for him..." Lisa motioned at Dean with her head, "...to suffer for what he's done."

"You're kidding," Dean said. Castiel bumped Dean with an elbow and indicated with his eyes that he should stay silent, but Dean wasn't about to obey. It was his life, his decision. "How about I counter your demands with some of my own." Dean turned around and faced Lisa. "You go to Hell." He shoved his face in Lisa's and whispered an apology before head butting her. The demon reared back and stumbled a few steps away from them. Dean gripped Ben by the arm and prepared to punch him in the face.

"We need to leave this place now," Castiel said.

Before Dean could speak, the sound of rushing wings filled his ears and the yard vanished and transformed into a wide-open field of grass.

"Take me back there now," Dean demanded. He stumble-rushed at Castiel and gripped his coat collar with both hands, shaking the angel, but he only managed to shake himself in the process. Castiel stood impassive, staring at Dean.

"It's too dangerous," Castiel said, brushing Dean away. Dean stumbled back and barely managed to keep his footing. He stared with wide eyes at Castiel, who watched him with an inscrutable expression on his face as Dean balled up his fists and seethed with anger.

"That's my family back there," Dean growled.

Behind them, Ben lay sprawled in the grass and they both turned to face the demon-possessed boy but, before Castiel could do anything, the demon streamed from Ben's mouth and up into the sky. His body shaking, Ben collapsed to the ground. Dean rushed to his side, falling to his knees to help Ben sit up.

This was a nightmare. "Are you okay?" Dean asked, keeping his voice low. He helped Ben to his feet and turned his back on Castiel. He held his arms out to keep Ben from crumpling back down to the ground when he swayed on his feet.

"I thought you were kidding when you talked about demons and stuff," Ben said.

"I wish I was." Dean suddenly realized that Ben's attention was not on him, and he turned to see where Ben was looking. Castiel stood with his arms at his side, his head tilted up to the darkening sky.

"That demon has reported back to its superior," Castiel said, tilting his head to the left as though he were listening to something.

Dean was stunned at Castiel's declaration. The last time they'd been together, Castiel had been a sliver of an angel, and his return to super-powered was disconcerting, to say the least. Even though Dean had been there to see Castiel get those powers back, he'd forgotten just how powerful Castiel could be.

A rush of wings filled the air and Dean reared back when the smell of ozone filled his nostrils and the sky crackled with lightning. Dean pulled Ben closer to his side as the hairs on the back of his neck prickled.

"What is it, Cas?" Dean said, walking around into Castiel's line of sight. "I know that look." Dean looked down and caught Ben's wide-eyed expression, wondering what he was supposed to tell the kid. Everything had happened so fast with no time for explanations. Unfortunately, Dean knew from experience that things were about to get worse.

"My attempts at being the 'new sheriff'...," Castiel said with a rueful smile. "...were met with great resistance."

Dean eyed Castiel up and down, his gaze lingering on Castiel's face. "Not a surprise," Dean said. "Your brothers are dicks."

Castiel broke free from Dean's gaze and glanced over his shoulder at Ben. "I'm sorry that your family got caught in the middle of this. It is much worse than you can imagine."

Dean threw his head back and rolled his eyes, groaning in frustration. "Of course it is."

They stood in silence for a moment.

"You don't understand how hard it's been," Castiel said, looking up to the sky. "My authority is not recognized by some."

"Not a big shock," Dean said.

"Many times...," Castiel began then fell silent. Dean could see that he was struggling with whatever it was he wanted to say. The look of chagrin in his eyes sent a wave of sympathy through Dean, and he reached out to grip Castiel's arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. Castiel sighed and continued. "I have felt the urge to abandon my post, but not while there are forces attempting to take control here and up in Heaven."

"Cas," Dean said, moving in closer and stepping into Castiel's personal space. He placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder and squeezed. Instead of moving away from Dean, Castiel leaned toward Dean. "Can't you just walk away and say you tried?"

Castiel shook his head and lifted his gaze. They were mere inches apart now and Dean felt his heart hammer in his chest at the closeness. It had been so long since Dean had felt Castiel's intense gaze on him and the same unexpected desires built in his chest stifling and constricting, as if something had gripped his core and squeezed him to the breaking point. Dean crushed the feelings and squared his shoulders, his own gaze drifting over Castiel's face in an attempt to gauge what Castiel was thinking. Castiel was still as closed off as ever when it came to speaking his mind but, if he leaned in just a hairsbreadth closer, the whole world would change for them. Then the moment was gone and the sound of wings filled the air.

"Brother." A familiar voice tore into the silence. Castiel spun around to face the intruder. Rafael stood behind them with arms crossed, a scowl on his face.

"Oh shit," Dean said. He stepped back from Castiel, putting himself between Ben and the archangel.

"I need to speak with Castiel," Rafael said, his focus only on Castiel.

"You got out," Dean said.

"Yes," Rafael said, turning his attention to Dean. Dean saw hate in those darkened eyes, which wasn't a surprise. This was one pissed off angel. The last time Dean had tangled with Rafael, he and Castiel had left the archangel in a burning circle of holy oil. Dean's taunts to the powerful angel still echoed in his mind.

The two angels stood facing each other, and Dean could feel the air crackle around them. From the tension in Castiel's stance, it appeared as though there was a silent struggle going on right before Dean's eyes.

"Don't do that," Rafael said through gritted teeth.

Castiel glared at Rafael and raised an arm at the other angel. "I will do as I please."

"Careful, brother, or I will no longer be able to resist the urge to snuff out your existence," Rafael said. He raised his own arm and twisted his hand, but nothing happened.

"Hey," Dean called out. "You should show him some respect."

Rage flared across Rafael's features, and Castiel heaved a disgusted sigh when Rafael spun to face Dean. Castiel grabbed him by the arm and turned him away from Dean, narrowing his eyes at Rafael.

"You were given specific orders," Castiel said.

Dean watched the tense standoff, and felt the displacement of troubled air.

"You are needed at home," Rafael said, eyeing Dean.

Castiel took a deep breath and turned to face Dean, expressionless. "I must go. I will return as soon as possible."

*

Dean rushed toward Castiel and grasped at empty air. It was already too late. The angels had flown and sent Dean and Ben elsewhere. They no longer stood on the grassy field. The ground beneath them had changed to one of gravel and dirt, the smell of oil and rust filling the air. Dean spun on the spot and then realized that he knew where he was: Singer Salvage, Bobby's place.

"Who the hell was that?" Ben said.

Dean spun around to face the boy. "Hey, watch the language, kid." Dean pointed a finger at Ben and then lowered his hand.

"Don't try to change the subject. I have a right to know what's happening. What happened to Mom?" Ben's expression of anger turned to one of fear then morphed into a plea.

"Castiel is an angel," Dean gestured skyward with his hand. "Those things back at the house were demons." As he explained, Dean noted that Ben no long wore the necklace to protect against possession around his neck. He fished out the one he'd pocketed back at the house and slipped it around Ben's neck.

"An angel! There's no such thing as angels," Ben said. He exhaled, eyes going wide. "What about that other guy with the lightning?"

"Another angel," Dean said, swiping a hand across his face. This was bad. With nowhere else to go, Dean turned to face the house. He wished that Castiel had come along for the ride, but angel politics had derailed whatever the plan had been. Now Dean was at a place he'd thought he'd never see again, unsure what was going on and why his whole life had just turned upside down and inside out. He could hope that Bobby would know.

He stomped up the steps to the front door with Ben right behind him. A sense of déjà vu reminded Dean of another time and place not so long ago when Dean had returned from the dead. Dean took a deep breath and knocked, wondering if Bobby would throw holy water in his face this time around.

The door to Bobby's house swung open, and Dean came face to face with Bobby who stood in the doorway with his mouth gaping open.

"Well," Dean said with a deep breath. "Are you going to let us in or are you just going to stand there staring?"

Dean turned to look behind him when a crash of thunder ripped the darkening sky, the sky that had just moments before been clear and blue.

"Get your buts in here, boys," Bobby said, stepping aside to let Dean and Ben into the house. Something crashed against the door just as Bobby slammed it, and he leaned against the door to hold it shut while Dean threw the bolt. Knowing there was no way it would hold off whatever was out there trying to get in, Dean took two steps back and watched as Bobby chanted and rubbed something across the door. Ben stood a few feet away, swallowing his fear.

"Great, everything is going according to plan," Crowley said with a smirk. He stood just a few feet from Dean, rubbing his hands together, a hint of glee in his eyes.

Dean barely had time to wonder what the hell he was doing here before the slamming at the doorway intensified. He shoved all his weight against the door and motioned for Ben to move back farther away from the doorway. Ben obeyed without hesitation or complaint, standing against the far wall with a look of fear in his eyes. Dean was sure the door would splinter beneath the bombardment, but the door held.

Bobby rushed to a bowl and threw some herbs and liquid inside, muttering another chant under his breath while Crowley stood by with his hands in his coat pockets.

When the thumping ceased, Dean moved to the front window and peeked out past the drapes in time to see a wall of black smoke and bodies coalescing in the haze. The figures began to converge on the house, taking more solid forms as they moved closer.

"What the hell is going on?" Dean muttered under his breath.

"I'm real sorry, Dean," Bobby said. The mixture popped with a small puff of smoke and Crowley watched Bobby with a smile. "We tried not to involve you."

"What is going on?" Dean asked.

"It's complicated," Bobby said.

"Then make it simple," Dean said. The room went still and silent. Nobody moved and Dean felt the tension build. "Use small words."

Bobby took a deep breath and his gaze darted to Crowley then back to Dean. "There's a war going on."

Dean looked around the room at everyone, waiting for someone to elaborate.

"Hello! There is a war going on," Crowley said, sauntering over to stand before Dean, his hands gesturing in the air in mock sign language. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Dean. "Has domesticity made you deaf?"

Dean sneered at the demon, and looked to Bobby. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

Bobby stepped between Dean and Crowley, glaring in Crowley's direction. Crowley moved to stand beside Bobby, slinging an arm around Bobby's shoulder.

"I'm with him," Crowley said, pulling Bobby in closer at the last word.

Bobby pushed Crowley away and frowned at the demon before moving to the window. Dean thought he caught a hint of red on Bobby's cheeks but chalked it up to the lighting.

At that moment, Dean realized that the noise outside had stopped and there was light filtering in through the windows. He moved to the closest window and pushed the drape aside again. There was no sign of the black wall of smoke, nor was there any sign of the figures that had just moments before been converging on the house.

"That does it, then," Crowley said, clapping his hands together. "My work here is done."

Dean glared at the demon. "You didn't do squat."

"Oh, now come on, love," Crowley said, grinning. "No need to be so hostile. At least I warned you in time." He waved a hand in the direction of the bowl. "Plus I pointed Bobby in the right direction, not to mention the mixture."

Dean took a deep breath and counted to ten in his mind. It was that, or he would shout at the top of his lungs. Bobby turned his attention to Dean.

"The world is in chaos and we need your help," Bobby said.

"Well, that totally cleared everything up," Dean said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

*2

"Where's Castiel?" Bobby said, breaking the silence first.

"He had to go back up to Heaven," Dean said, first eyeing Bobby then Crowley, until finally settling his gaze back on Bobby.

"And on that note," Crowley said, holding a hand up, "I've got to run. Someone is calling my name. Don't wait up for me, cookie." Crowley winked and waved at Bobby and then vanished.

Dean curled his lip in disgust, turning a wary eye on Bobby. "Do you want to explain that, or are we just going to have to let our imaginations run away with us."

The flustered look on Bobby's face said it all as far as Dean was concerned.

"It's nothing. He's just messing with me," Bobby said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Dean held his hands up in surrender. "Look, whatever you do on your own personal time is none of my business. I need to get back to the house to find Lisa. I just need to know one thing. Did he give back your soul?"

"He did," Bobby said, turning his back on Dean and falling silent. The silence hung in the air like an omen, but then, everything felt like an omen to Dean.

"Good," Dean said. "Now can we get this rolling? I'm anxious to kick some demon ass."

"You were getting married and you didn't invite me?" Bobby said with a hurt tone.

"I tried to call you, but you never got back to me. You were always out hunting something," Dean said, knowing the explanation sounded lame.

"You could have tried harder." Though Bobby said the words with a little whine, Dean could see by the glint in his eyes that he was teasing Dean just a little bit, and a feeling of familiarity came over Dean.

"I left about a million messages, how much harder did you expect me to try," Dean teased back. The sound of someone clearing their throat broke the moment, and they both turned to find Crowley against the doorjamb with his arms crossed.

"Did you miss me?"

"No!" Bobby and Dean both growled in unison.

Dean glanced from Bobby to Crowley then turned his attention to Ben who stood a few feet away not saying a word as tremors began to wrack his young body.

"Crap," Dean muttered, dismayed at how he'd forgotten the boy's presence.

"Dad," Ben said. His face was pale and ashen. He clutched at the sofa end and lowered himself down to sit on the armrest.

"This is Ben," Dean said. He quickly checked the boy but, other than a pale face, Ben seemed unhurt physically. Dean knew that how he was holding up on an emotional level was another matter. It was obvious that Ben was in shock, and Dean didn't blame him. He'd just been possessed by a demon, and his mother was currently hosting what looked to be a demon powerful enough that not even Cas could expel the thing. Resting his hand on Ben's shoulder, Dean said, "Ben is my adopted son."

"Oh, right. Hi, Ben," Bobby said. They shook hands. "You're welcome to stay here at my place. I've got everything you need to hide from demon hordes. Just be careful what you touch around here."

Dean stood behind Ben, shaking his head and motioning with one hand across his neck. He didn't want to expose Ben to any more than he had to, even though he might have to teach Ben how to defend himself against monsters in the closet.

Dean breathed a heavy sigh and turned away from them, wanting to hide his frustrated expression from the boy. He'd never wanted the kid to know about Dean's old life as a hunter and now it seemed he had no choice. He should have known that his old world would encroach on what he'd tried to built with Ben and Lisa.

"We should probably change out of these clothes," Dean said, realizing that their wedding getups weren't the most appropriate clothes.

Much to Dean's surprise, Bobby still had some of Dean's old hunting clothes stashed in his house. He also managed to scare up something that would fit Ben. Dean felt much more comfortable in jeans and t-shirt. Touching his throat, he felt a moment of panic before he remembered that the necklace Sammy had given him so long ago on that Christmas night was gone. He'd thrown it away, but the realization never failed to jolt him each time he forgot.

Dean sat down on the edge of the sofa and saw that Bobby had Ben settled down in the kitchen with a sandwich and some milk. Bobby's eyes met Dean's and Dean could tell by the look that Bobby would grill him for more information once they were in private.

"This is just so sweet," said Crowley, startling Dean with his sudden appearance.

"Would you stop doing that," Dean grumbled. He stood and moved away from Crowley, headed for the kitchen before Crowley stopped him with an arm in his path.

"You never seem to mind when your cute little angel buddy does it," Crowley said.

Dean sneered at Crowley and glared down at the offending arm. Luckily, it didn't have to come to blows. Crowley took the hint and moved from Dean's path.

"For what it's worth," Crowley said, stopping Dean in his tracks again this time with words. "I told Bobby he should go to the wedding. I even offered to be his date."

Dean turned on Crowley and snarled. "No one invited you."

"I beg to differ." The smug expression on Crowley's face irritated Dean, but he decided trading quips with the demon wasn't worth the hassle.

Dean leaned in closer, and grabbed a handful of the collar of Crowley's suit jacket, shoving his other fist in the demon's smug face. "Maybe you could make yourself useful and find out what's walking around wearing Lisa."

"And risk getting this pristine suit wrinkled?" Crowley said, brushing Dean's hand off with ease and straightening his crumpled collar.

Frustrated, Dean lunged at Crowley, fist ready to punch him out even though he knew there was no way he could best Crowley in a fight. He wanted to punch the smug expression off his face.

"Guys!" Bobby stepped between them, nudging Dean back from Crowley, then turning to address the demon. "We need to find out what or who we're dealing with here."

Crowley's gaze traveled up Bobby to meet his line of sight. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, for you I will do some 'recon'." Before Dean could respond, Crowley vanished.

"What the fuck, Bobby?" Dean said. He clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists.

Bobby turned away from Dean and stared down at the floor. There was much more going on than the man was letting on, and Dean was tired of dancing around the issue. He needed to know everything he was dealing with because Dean had more than just himself to worry about now. He had Ben, and Dean knew that Lisa would count on him to make sure her son didn't end up hurt or worse, dead.

"He won't let me alone. I've tried to tell him that we're through, but he keeps showing up, and he's..."

"He's what?" Dean said with a derisive snort.

Bobby raised his gaze to glance at Dean before looking away again. There was embarrassment in his eyes, and Dean had a hard time remembering the last time he'd ever seen Bobby Singer so uncomfortable.

"He's courting me." Bobby released a long-held breath and rolled his eyes at the ceiling, obvious disgust in his voice and body language.

"He's what?" Dean said. He leaned in closer sure that he'd heard Bobby wrong.

Bobby glared at Dean and swiped a hand across his face. "If I have to explain it to you, boy..."

"You're not kidding." Dean took a step back, feeling discomfort of his own. "Courting, as in he wants you and him to shack up like husband and... husband with a white picket fence and two point five kids."

"Minus the kids. He hates the little buggers," Bobby said. The tension in his shoulders relaxed, and Dean could see by Bobby's stance that he'd wanted to get this particular secret off his chest for some time.

"How long has this been...?" Dean made a vague hand gesture.

"Too long." Bobby turned his back on Dean.

"Maybe you shouldn't have used tongue."

Bobby's body language spoke volumes and Dean could see that he wanted to drop the whole thing, but how could he let this go. Bobby turned his glare on Dean, making him almost regret he'd made the quip.

"Look, we have more pressing matters to worry about," Bobby said. He walked to the table in the living room and picked up an old volume, holding it open. "And there shall be dead and the dead will take form." Bobby spun back to face Dean and held the book out. "Before all this happened, I was investigating major demonic activity in Willow Springs, Missouri."

"Major," Dean said, moving forward to take the book from Bobby. "How major are we talking here?" He looked down at the table and saw there were maps and notes and other books spread across the tabletop. Dean picked up one of the maps and examined it closer. There was a red X on the town Willow Springs. Dean swallowed the lump forming in his throat when he saw the name of the town just a few miles away. It had to be a coincidence.

"Major," Bobby stressed with raised eyebrows. "Last I heard the town had lost contact with the outside world. I was just about to go down there when...."

"Right," Dean nodded and glanced over at the kitchen where Ben still sat at the table. He had finished his food and sat with his hands in his lap, leaning back and staring at the table. He looked lost in thought and Dean was sure he knew just what thoughts were swirling through the boy's head.

"You can leave him here," Bobby said. "This place is guarded tighter than Fort Knox."

"I wish I'd seen what was coming with Lisa," Dean said, regret heavy in his voice. He wanted to rush back to the home they'd made and rip that demon from her body, but he knew there was no way that was going to happen. He knew they needed a better plan and in the mean time, he might as well help with Bobby's demon assault. "Do you think the demon activity in Willow Springs is related? It can't be a coincidence that the two events happened at almost the same time."

"It could be related," Bobby said. "We should probably get over there and find out."

Dean spun around and slammed right into Castiel. "Don't do that," Dean said. His hunter instinct was to jump back and pull a weapon, but he didn't have one, and he was more annoyed than frightened.

"I apologize but this couldn't wait. There's something you need to see," Castiel said. Striding over to Bobby's television, he turned it on and stepped aside. There was a news report on, and Castiel turned the sound up. A woman stood in front of the camera with a microphone in hand. From the way her hair and clothing whipped around her, you could see that there was a storm raging.

"'Witnesses say that a large storm front came out of nowhere and engulfed the town of Willow Springs. The police have said they have already found an unidentified man and a woman dead in their vehicles on the road leading to the town.'"

That was all Dean heard. He grabbed hold of a duffle and rushed to fill the bag with weapons. He eyed Ben out of the corner of his eye as he hurried. Someone turned off the television, and Bobby joined Dean in collecting everything needed for the mission.

"We're going to need to get there fast," Dean said. He spun around and looked to Castiel, afraid to say the words.

"I want to go with you," Ben said. He stood a few feet from them. Dean could hear the anxiety in his voice, and watched him swallow his fear in an attempt to look braver.

"No," all three men said at the same time.

Dean stuffed the sawed-off in the duffle bag and moved forward to grip Ben by the elbow.

"Cas," Dean said.

Castiel stepped forward and stood beside Ben.

"Cousin in Wisconsin," Dean said with a nod. He turned to Ben. "Bend your knees." Before Ben could say anything, there was a blinding flash of light and Ben and Castiel vanished. Dean could hear the tick of the clock and he held a breath, waiting.

Dean let out the breath and heaved his shoulders. In the next breath, Castiel reappeared alone. Knowing they needed to get moving fast before any more people got hurt, Dean prepared himself for the touch to the forehead and the inevitable feeling like something was turning him inside out that he got whenever Castiel zapped him somewhere. In the blink of an eye, Bobby's house vanished around him and he stood on a strange street. Dean waited for the queasy feeling in his stomach to start, but when nothing beyond the displacement happened, he turned his attention to the silent town.

The sudden sound of howling filled the air. They stood on the corner of a street of what looked like any one of the small towns Dean had been to over the years. The only thing missing was people. Dean cocked his sawed-off and spun in a circle, making a cursory inspection of their surrounds. Bobby and Castiel stood beside him, Castiel holding a short vicious-looking blade in one hand, poised for battle. Bobby also had his weapon at the ready. Whatever they encountered, be it angel or demon, they were ready.

"What's the situation, Cas?" Dean asked. The howling stopped just as suddenly as it had begun.

"I don't know. Something is blocking my abilities." Already tense, Castiel tightened his grip on his sword, changing his stance.

"You hear that?" Dean said, tightening his own grip on his weapon.

"I don't hear anything," Bobby said.

"That's just what I'm talking about." Dean walked out into the street and looked up at the tallest structure that stood at the end of the road just a few hundred feet away. An old clock tower still ticked the hours away and the minute hand was about to hit noon. "No birds, no nothing."

"Something's coming," Castiel said. He pulled a drawstring bag from his coat pocket and yanked it open. "Dean!"

Castiel didn't have to say it twice. Dean ran back to where Castiel and Bobby stood. Castiel pulled a handful of what looked to be dust from the bag and started to pour it on the ground around them in a circle.

"Abraasa micalz blans." Castiel said the words a few times and poured the dust until the circle was complete. "Emitgis." With the last word, a wave of pale light rippled around them, surrounding the three of them. A sudden gust of wind tore through the street, sending debris outside the barrier swirling while the dust circle remained unruffled by the wind.

Dean reached out with one hand, but Castiel grabbed him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Castiel extended his hand out and caressed the air. The invisible barrier became visible for a brief moment then vanished when Castiel withdrew his hand. "It is possible that this curtain is dangerous to humans."

"Swell," said Dean, moving closer to the center of the circle. He could see the air ripple around them. "Now we're trapped with no way to escape."

"Not necessarily," Castiel said, making eye contact with Dean. He could see the apology in Castiel's eyes.

"And something is stopping you from just zapping us out of here?" He backed into Castiel, bumping against him, their elbows touching. "Swell."

By the look on Castiel's face, Dean knew the answer to his question. Dean could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end. It had to be something powerful to keep an angel like Castiel from transporting away.

Castiel shrugged one shoulder. "This was the best I could do with such short notice."

"Could we argue about this later," Bobby said, glaring at Dean. "This is no time for splitting hairs. We're here now. We may as well see what it is we're dealing with here."

Dean nodded and turned his attention from Castiel to stare out at the town. Stray newspapers danced in the wind around them. Then it happened. A jolt of thunder shook the ground and lightning came out of the clear blue sky to crack a telephone pole a few feet from where they stood. Dean shielded his eyes from the shower of sparks and the bright light, but nothing broke through the barrier to them.

"Show yourself!" Castiel lowered his sword and squared his shoulders. A black swirl of clouds tore down the street and converged on them, pulsating like a living breathing entity.

"Well, that's not something you see every day," Dean said, watching the cloud move around the barrier. One tendril streamed out and danced along the edge of the barrier but didn't touch it. A body formed within the smoke and then became two, and before Dean knew it, there were people surrounding them. The smoke blacked out all light, and darkness surrounded them.

"Ror," Castiel muttered. He elbowed Dean and nodded. "Ror."

"This is no time to play tiger," Dean said.

Castiel nudged Bobby who had backed into them so that they stood back to back facing their enemies.

"I think this is the perfect time to play tiger. Ror," Bobby said.

Dean sighed and muttered the word, feeling foolish. This was stupid. Whatever was here after them, it wasn't about to go away or give up because they roared at it like some caged cats.

"Louder," Castiel said. He elbowed Dean in the ribs, harder this time and Dean glared at Castiel but complied with his demand.

The three of them shouted the word as loud as they could, the blackness vanished, and Dean could see again.

"I'm guessing that means get the fuck out," Dean said. He felt a sense of accomplishment when his comment elicited a ghost of a smile from Castiel.

"Something like that."

The figures moved closer, and Dean could see that they all had eyes as black as night. They were all demon-possessed.

"Fun times," Dean muttered. Every nerve and muscle felt tense and his skin tingled as the air changed all around them. Then the clock struck. The chime echoed down the street, reminding Dean of that AC/DC song he loved so much. Any second now, he expected a guitar cord to fill the air. Some of the demon-possessed people turned at the sound and an invisible force flung them backwards and away from the besieged circle. One by one, each of them flew through the air.

Dean caught a glimpse of something familiar and was about to step forward when Castiel grasped him with both arms wrapped around Dean to hold him back.

"No! Don't. That's what they want." Castiel held on tight, pinning Dean's arms to his side. All the demon-possessed people were gone and nothing but quiet remained in their wake. Then the black cloud was back, surrounding them, but staying a few hundred yards from the circle. Dean eyed Bobby, who shook his head at Dean and, just as Castiel loosened his grip on Dean, something ran at them from out of the blackness. The scream ripped the air, piercing Dean's eardrums. He struggled against Castiel's tight grip to try to cover his ears. Castiel released him and Dean flung his gun on the ground to free his hands. Bobby was already on his knees, covering his own ears from the cries. When Dean looked up, he came almost face to face with black eyes and a visage twisted with hate.

"Filthy nasty angel," the demon growled.

Castiel stood his ground unruffled by the sudden attack. He lowered his head and locked eyes with the demon-possessed person. Before Dean could stop him, Castiel stepped out of the ring unharmed. The demon fell on him so fast that Castiel barely had time to put his arms up in defense. He managed to get a hand on the demon's forehead. Bright light filled the air as the demon burned from the host body.

Castiel turned in a circle, body tensed and poised to fight anything that attacked him.

"Get back in here, Cas," Dean ordered, taking a step toward the angel, stopping just before he hit the protective barrier. He pulled out the demon-killing knife and held it up, but Castiel held a hand up. He knew Castiel could kick their collective asses, but a lump of fear still formed in Dean's throat. Every instinct in him wanted to help.

"You keep that," Castiel said, turning just as another high-pitched sound filled the air. Dean covered his ears but this time, the sound was much more intense and it brought Dean to his knees. He fell forward onto his elbows, cringing in pain. Dean struggled to look up so that he could see what was happening. Another demon lunged at Castiel, this time pushing him back against the barrier. Castiel fell through and the demon followed. There was a bright flash of light as the demon vanished in midair. Castiel fell against Dean and they both tumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

"Fuck," Dean cursed. Castiel lay limp in his arms. He looked to be unconscious, and Dean shook him to try to wake him, but Castiel remained unresponsive. From a quick inspection, Dean couldn't see anything wrong with him other than he wasn't awake.

"At least the circle wasn't broken," Bobby said. He stood over Dean and Castiel, not moving to help them up.

"Yup, at least we're still trapped, only now we have a comatose angel on our hands."

"You mean in your arms," Bobby said, motioning at them with his shotgun. Dean looked down at Castiel who still lay sprawled in between Dean's legs.

He glared up at Bobby. "Would you fucking help me get him up?"

Bobby chuckled and slung his gun over his shoulder to free his hands. He helped Dean get the unconscious Castiel up to a standing position.

"I am not comatose," Castiel said. Dean almost dropped his side surprised that Castiel could say anything. He still looked knocked out when Dean checked. His body was limp between them and Castiel's head lolled at an angle, his eyes closed.

"Did you hear that?" Dean said, unsure if he were imagining the whole thing.

"Hear what?" Bobby said, straightened and adjusting Castiel between them.

"Put your arms around me," Castiel said, but his lips didn't move as Dean watched Castiel's immobile face, leaning in closer to stare at his slackened mouth.

"What the hell are you doing?" Bobby asked.

"Dean, please do as I ask," Castiel said.

No longer hesitating, Dean nudged Bobby aside and took Castiel in his arms, holding him tight. He shivered when Castiel's mouth brushed across his ear and the stubble on his cheek scraped against his skin.

Bobby stepped away and watched with an expression of confusion on his face, but Dean didn't have time to explain. He concentrated on the voice inside his head.

"What now, Cas," Dean said. Castiel was a dead weight in his arms and he started to sag. Dean struggled to keep him upright and held Bobby off when Bobby tried to help.

"Face me towards the containment field," Castiel instructed.

Dean turned Castiel in his arms, keeping their bodies close despite Castiel being as limp as a rag doll. He wrapped an arm around Castiel's chest and held him flush against his body. Castiel's head lolled back and he still appeared to be unconscious, not even an eyelash fluttering through the whole ordeal. His lips brushed Dean's cheek again as Dean tilted his body to try to adjust his stance so they wouldn't fall backwards. When Castiel's body threatened to buckle forward, Dean pulled him closer and held him tight against himself, one arm across Castiel's chest and the other around his waist. Dean ignored the demons as they watched from outside the barrier, their hungry eyes trained on Castiel.

"Now what," Dean whispered into Castiel's ear.

"Push me through the field."

The words echoed in Dean's mind, sending a shiver down his spine. The demons smirked and stood right in front of Dean. He watched as they poised for the attack.

"They'll rip you to shreds," Dean said. His mouth was still at Castiel's ear and, though he kept his voice low, Dean had the feeling the demons could hear every word he said.

"There is no other way," Castiel said inside Dean's mind. "You must push me through the barrier."

"I can't do it, Cas. This is more like throwing you to the wolves."

"Dean." Castiel growled his name in his head, sending shudders through Dean until he felt his balls tighten. Dean choked on the cry caught in his throat and shoved Castiel as hard as he could through the barrier. The effect was instant. Castiel woke from his comatose state, gripping one of the demons in one hand and slapping his other hand to the demon's forehead. Bright light filled the air once again as the demon was burned from the man. He fell to the ground, eye sockets empty and black. Castiel spun on the other demon, ready to attack.

The second demon escaped Castiel's grip, turned, and ran into the blackness. The cloud receded with the retreating demon, and then the air was clear. The sun had set in the mean time, and Dean looked down at his watch to see that it was almost nine in the evening. It felt as though time had passed more quickly than it should have.

"They have retreated," Castiel declared.

"Shouldn't we wait just to be sure?" Dean still felt tense and his body hummed like a live wire.

"That won't be necessary." Castiel knelt down and swiped a hand over the dust, breaking the circle. The low hum that had been there all along faded and then vanished altogether. Dean watched as Bobby gingerly stepped over the trail of dust. Nothing happened and Dean followed him out of the circle. He stopped before Castiel, their gazes locked.

"You could have warned me," Dean said. He could see that Castiel remained unharmed, his clothes wrinkled as always, tie crooked and hair messier than before the fight, making him look as though he'd been frightened by something.

"I wasn't sure of what would happen," Castiel said, taking a deep breath, his shoulder heaving. "That," Castiel motioned at the dust on the ground, "created a pocket of Heaven on Earth. When I was pushed through the field, I was pushed from my vessel."

"Oh," Dean said more confused than before the explanation. "Does time move differently up there?"

Castiel nodded and stared up at the sky. Dean wasn't used to having things play out this way. Castiel had just fought off all the demons while Dean remained safe inside that circle of Heaven. Dean felt a wave of ire building. He'd thought for just one brief moment that Castiel was gone, and he wanted to shout at Castiel for scaring him half to death.

A scream cut off Dean's indignation, and they all turned towards the sound. A black and grey plume of smoke mushroomed in the sky a few miles south, forming into a long black pillar. When Dean turned back to face Castiel, the angel had vanished.

"Not again," Dean groaned, but Bobby was already rushing toward the explosion. Dean followed with his knife ready. As they moved closer to the center of the blast, they found bodies strewn along the street. Some were charred and some looked unscathed. All of them were out cold. They slowed their pace and stopped when they spotted Castiel standing in the middle of the road with his back to them, wind whipping around him, and flaring his trench coat out like a great set of wings.

Then Dean saw them, black shapes on Castiel's shoulders that seemed to reach up to the sky. The sound of beating wings filled the air, and Dean stood stunned staring at the wings on Castiel's shoulders. Each wing spanned fifty feet, and the gust of wind created by their beating sent dust and paper flying all around them in a great swirl. A flash of lightning showed a black pillar of smoke in front of Castiel.

The pillar seemed to expand, as though taking a deep breath, then collapsed on itself. Castiel chanted something in Enochian, both arms in the air. His wings flapped hard enough to lift him up, and he hovered just a few feet above the ground, his feet dangling. Dean forgot everything else around him and tried rushed to Castiel, only to have Bobby grab him by the arm.

"Don't," Bobby said with a shake of his head.

Every instinct in him wanted to help, but Dean obeyed. The wind whipped around them, forcing Bobby and Dean back, and Dean held his hand up to shield his eyes. He watched Castiel hover and then dive like a bird of prey at the pillar, stabbing into the smoke feet first. Castiel spun faster than Dean could see, his wings seeming to slice the air, shredding the smoke until it was nothing more than hundreds of wisps. Castiel pulled his wings in tight to his body and shot straight up into the sky, out of sight. The air popped around them as he broke the sound barrier.

Before the smoke had time to reform into the pillar, Castiel dove back to Earth, and landed a few feet from Dean. His wings expanded and, just before Castiel dove at the smoke again, Dean saw the fatigue in his eyes. They had to do something to help but, before Dean could, the smoke flowed away from them and out of sight. Castiel collapsed to his knees, his wings vanishing. Dean rushed to his side, and Bobby moved in beside them with his shotgun ready.

"Something's coming, boys," Bobby said. He turned his back to them and fired at something that Dean couldn't see from his angle.

"Cas," Dean helped the angel to his feet. Castiel gasped for breath and his shoulders sagged, but he managed to get to his feet and stand with Dean's help.

"We must get out of here," Castiel said.

"Now you tell me," Dean said. He slung Castiel's arm over his shoulder and turned to find that the people who had been unconscious were now walking towards them, eyes black.

"Are you strong enough to zap us out of here?" Bobby asked, firing his shotgun at the advancing demons.

"I should have been able to beat them," Castiel mused. Castiel's knees buckled but Dean held him up. He shrugged away from Dean and managed to stay on his feet without falling again. Dean backed off and watched Castiel raise his fists in a fighting stance and faced the oncoming demons.

"This is no time to bitch," Dean said, wielding his knife. He slashed at the first man who rushed him and spun him around, stabbing the man in the chest. The demon inside flared and the body went limp. Dena yanked the knife free and let the man drop to the ground before moving on to the next demon.

"There's something in the building," Castiel pointed to a white building down the street. "They want to keep us from whatever is in there."

"Right," Dean said with a nod. He rushed at the demon before him, and spun him into Castiel who pressed his palm to the man's forehead. Light flared from his mouth and eyes and he fell to the ground dead, eyes blackened. The three of them advanced, cutting a swath through the growing horde of demons. Bobby made it to the door of the building first and yanked it open to rush into the building without caution.

"Bobby!" Dean raced as fast as he could toward the building when he heard the screaming coming from inside, leaving Castiel to fight off the rest of the demon-possessed people. Castiel appeared before Dean, blocking his path into the building, and preventing Dean from rushing in.

"We can not be so reckless," Castiel said.

Dean nodded and held the demon-killing knife up, ready for whatever would jump out at them when they entered the room. Castiel went in first, each step cautious. Dean followed close behind, remembering all the times he and his brother had done this very same thing.

A few feet into the dark building, Bobby lay on the floor, unconscious. Dean couldn't see any blood, but that didn't mean that his friend wasn't hurt in some way. The blood might have pooled beneath Bobby where Dean couldn't see. He wanted to rush to Bobby's side, but Castiel was right about being reckless. That was what had gotten Bobby into this trouble and the sooner they could be sure they were safe, the better Dean would feel.

Castiel glided forward and bent down on one knee to check on Bobby. He turned to look back at Dean. "He is alive." He reached down and touched two fingers to Bobby's forehead. Bobby groaned and struggled to sit up.

He looked over to Dean and said, "You're never going to believe who I saw."

*3

Dean stood staring out of one of the top floor windows of the building, his thoughts went back to the day in the cemetery. The image of Sam taking a dive into the cage burned into his brain, playing on repeat, and the words Bobby spoke faded into the background.

"Did you hear me, Dean?" Bobby grabbed Dean by the arm to shake him out of his reverie.

Dean nodded, but his attention was still on the growing daylight outside. The sun was already starting to rise. Dean realized that he should have been on his honeymoon now. He and Lisa should have been driving up to the cabin they had booked for the weekend.

"This is an unexpected turn," Castiel said. He stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"So you didn't know about this," Dean said, advancing on Castiel. His frustration and anger built with each step he took. He stopped in front of Castiel, trying to gauge the angel's reaction, uncertain as to weather he was telling the truth, or if he could be trusted now that Castiel served Heaven's interests.

Castiel straightened and stood with an air of defiance. "If I had known about this, I would have told you."

Dean sensed a defensive tone in his voice.

"Would you have?" Dean said. He leaned in closer until he captured Castiel's gaze. When Castiel looked away, Dean knew the truth. "You son of a bitch." Dean threw his arms out wide in frustration and turned his back on Castiel. "After everything we've been through, you couldn't tell me this."

"I..." Castiel reached for Dean's arm, but Dean swerved to avoid his touch.

"Don't," Dean said, pointing at Castiel. They both went silent, and then Dean glimpsed Bobby out of the corner of his eye. He could tell that the man wanted to say something, but Dean hoped for Bobby's sake that he knew better. "How long?" Dean closed in on Castiel and got inside his personal space, backing him up against the wall. He knew Castiel could take flight at any moment.

He also knew that he wouldn't.

"Almost a year," Castiel whispered the words so softly that Dean was sure he heard wrong.

"We don't have time for this," Bobby said. He reached for Dean, but Dean shrugged him off, turning a sneer on Castiel, who lifted his chin in the air and kept silent.

"We should go," Dean said, stomping across the room toward the door.

"We can't go," Bobby said. "We didn't do what we came here to do."

Dean paused in the hallway and took a deep breath. He spun on his heels and glared at Bobby. "You really think I care about that right now?" Even as he headed out of the room with the intention of leaving Castiel there, Dean realized it wasn't an option. As angry as he was with Castiel, the angel was their best weapon against whatever had decided to make Dean a target.

"Dean, you can't..." Castiel began, only to stop when Dean turned his glare on him.

"Don't you fucking tell me that I can't go search for my brother," Dean said. He paced away from Castiel, his frustration building at the time they were wasting. No one said anything and, finally, Dean stopped to look at Bobby then Castiel. "Fine, let's finish what we started here, and then we go after my brother," Dean said. He turned and rushed away from Bobby and Castiel before either of them had a chance to say anything.

Outside, the town was as silent as death. Time felt displaced again. The sun had risen, but there seemed to be a haze over them blocking its bright rays, leaching the color out of the town putting Dean even more on edge. Castiel paused and swept his gaze over the area. Dean could tell from his expression that something was up and motioned for Bobby to stay put.

"What is it?" Dean asked, cocking his weapon. Dean tucked the demon knife into his belt and the feel of the cold steel of the blade against his skin sent a thrill through him. It had been too long since he'd been on the hunt, and the adrenaline coursing through him felt exhilarating. A hunt was something Dean knew and could deal with, something he couldn't imagine ever giving up voluntarily. Except that was exactly what he'd done because of a promise to his brother, who was out there right now somewhere in this world and had been the whole time. Dean tried not to dwell on these thoughts, but they filled his mind even as he thought up possible strategies for what was coming.

"There is a presence that I recognize," Castiel said. When he started to walk west, Dean followed him. He couldn't understand why Castiel couldn't just whammy whatever was out there. Dean wanted it over fast so he could concentrate on finding his brother. The tension was driving him crazy.

Castiel stopped abruptly and Dean stopped just short of slamming into him.

"What...?"

Castiel raised a hand for silence, and Dean glanced back at Bobby, who shrugged his shoulders. Dean scoped out the area, but saw nothing out there to account for Castiel's actions. The air was as still as death, and a reason suddenly occurred to Dean.

"Is it reapers?"

Castiel shook his head absently, as though he were barely paying attention to Dean, then a scream filled the air. Dean was about to shout for something to attack already when Castiel started to move forward again in the direction of the sound. They stopped at the end of the main street, and Castiel stood at the crossroads. Dean stared down at the dirt road, a feeling of déjà vu stealing over him.

Everything happened at once. Dean felt the air molecules move before he saw the apparition rushing at him. He turned and fired the rock salt blast without a second thought and, just at the last moment, he realized that there was something else right behind the ghost. Dean stood frozen for a second, and the other specter smiled and waved at him before it vanished, hair swirling around her pretty face.

Dean lowered his weapon and stared with mouth hanging open.

"Jo?"

"Behind you, Dean," Castiel said.

Dean turned to see where Castiel was pointing and, sure enough, a pale wisp of smoke coalesced before them. Jo floated legless and pale, the marks of the hellhound scratches on her torso. Her hair was a matted tangled mess the color of ash, nothing like the shimmering blond Dean remembered. She smiled and then spun around to become solid long enough to grab hold of the desiccated corpse-like specter that was after them. The two vanished, but not before Dean saw Jo open her mouth in a silent scream.

Castiel vanished without warning, leaving Dean and Bobby again. Another apparition dove at him and Dean jumped out of the way, unable to get his shotgun up in time. He tucked, rolled, and came up shooting. The apparition exploded under the blast of rock salt. Moments after, Castiel reappeared. Dean scrambled back to his feet, and all three moved until they were all back to back facing the ghosts.

"Can't you just poof them away?" Dean asked Castiel.

"No," Castiel said. The air around them went still again, and Castiel faced the gossamer apparition of Jo. "If I did, then she would go with them." Castiel reached out and touched two fingers to Jo's cheek. There was a bright flash of light so blinding that Dean had to cover his eyes. When he lowered his hand, Jo wavered before Castiel, her eyes wide as she fell forward. Dean rushed forward and reached out to help, but Castiel shouldered him away. He lifted Jo into his arms and held her close to himself.

"What the hell," Dean said. He stared down at Jo. She looked solid.

"Now I can 'poof' them away," Castiel said. He handed Jo over to Dean and once Dean had her unconscious body safe in his arms, Castiel spun around and raised one hand at the advancing ghosts. Castiel muttered some words under his breath, and the ghosts' forlorn cries filled the air. They had no time to become solid forms before their transparent bodies disintegrated.

Dean lowered Jo to the ground, setting her down gently. He could not believe that she was solid now, but with Castiel, anything was possible. He looked to Bobby, who had crouched down beside them. Bobby reached out and touched a palm to her forehead.

"This is impossible," Bobby muttered.

"No," Castiel said. He took a deep breath and gave Dean that warning look which meant he was about to zap them somewhere else.

*

Dean paced back and forth across Bobby's living room. He wanted to be out there looking for his brother, but there was something in here that needed his attention first. Jo lay on the cot, unconscious since they'd returned. In the meantime, Bobby had done all the usual incantations and tests on her to be sure she wasn't some sort of demon or trick that would blow up in their faces.

"Would you stop doing that?" Bobby said. They were all on edge so Dean couldn't blame Bobby for snapping at him. "You're wearing a hole in my floor."

Dean walked to the side of the cot and sat down in the chair, staring down at Jo. He reached out to touch her cheek then withdrew his hand, feeling as though he didn't have a right to touch her. He'd gotten her killed and now through some insane fate, she was back. His mind kept boggling, going back to the glimpse he'd caught of the expression on her face when she became real again, and how simple it had been for Castiel to just touch her and bring her back to life.

He pushed those thoughts aside and turned his attention back to Jo. She was starting to waken, her brown eyes fluttering open, and Dean felt his heart speed up. He leaned forward to stare down at her, wishing his mouth weren't so dry. The moment their eyes met, Dean swallowed his words, unsure of what to say. 'Welcome back' somehow seemed too insensitive.

"Hey," Dean said with a faint smile.

She looked around the room with wild and terror-filled eyes. Dean could see her body tense and then relax.

"Dean," Jo said. Her voice cracked.

Dean reached for the glass of water and placed the straw to her lips. She took a sip and then pushed it away. Still avoiding her gaze, Dean set the glass down and then sat there, baffled as to what to say or do. He looked up to Bobby, who shrugged his shoulders and made no suggestion. Dean cleared his throat and returned his gaze to Jo.

"I was dead," Jo said with a feeble smile. She clutched at her head and flinched.

"Cas brought you back," said Dean quietly.

She tried to sit up, but winced and fell back. By her body language, Dean could see that she was exhausted and in some pain.

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Dean rushed to say as Bobby leaned in closer, peering right over Dean's shoulder. Standing, Dean moved away, allowing Bobby to slip into the spot he'd just vacated. Dean felt panicked and closed in, needing to get away. He paced across the room, glancing over a few times to watch as Bobby did what he could for Jo. He had his head bent close to Jo's, and there were whispered words that Dean couldn't make out from where he was standing.

Dean hoped they were better words than what he'd offered.

Stopping his nervous circling around the room, Dean leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Every time Dean looked at Jo, he felt the same lump form in his throat, but he forced himself to watch Bobby smooth a comforting hand over her forehead. Her eyes fluttered shut but, just before they closed, they fell one last time on Dean and he wished he could understand what they were saying.

It was easier for him to sense Castiel before he heard the flutter of wings, and he turned his head to find Castiel standing at his elbow. "Hey, Cas," Dean said, too tired to chastise the angel for getting into his personal space. Castiel nodded at Dean then looked over at Bobby and Jo. The motion brought Castiel closer to Dean until their arms pressed together, and Dean slowly released a shaky breath.

"So what's up," Dean said. "You figure this out or are we still in the dark?" Dean waved a hand at Jo to indicate what he meant.

"It's complicated," Castiel said, turning his attention to Dean.

"It's always complicated," Dean said with resentment.

Bobby interrupted, glancing at his watch. "I'm bushed and it's getting late. I'm off for some shut eye." He turned to leave the room then pointed back at Dean. "You could use some beauty sleep too. You look like death warmed over."

Dean watched Bobby trudge out of the room and waited for his footsteps to fade. He cleared his throat and slid away from Castiel, turning to face him. He jerked his head and they moved out of the room together to leave Jo to sleep in peace, and then Dean closed the sliding doors to allow for privacy.

"Okay, spill," Dean said. He didn't wait long for Castiel to answer. "I know it's complicated, but I need to know what we're up against here. Is it related to the thing that has Lisa?" Dean leaned in closer, and forced Castiel to keep eye contact. He knew there was so much more going on than Castiel was letting on, but for some reason the angel was reluctant to spill it.

Dean searched Castiel's eyes. It was there again, the tension between them and that same feeling in the pit of his gut that he always got when he was this close to Castiel. It wasn't the time or the place, but Dean didn't care about that now. He reached up and cupped Castiel's stubble-covered cheek. His mouth felt dry all of a sudden and, when Dean licked his lips, Castiel's gaze followed the motion.

Dean could see the tension in Castiel fade. He leaned forward with eyes open, and placed his lips on Castiel's mouth. The last time he'd done this, Castiel had thrown him across the room. This time, much to Dean's relief, the reaction was much different - Castiel reciprocated. Feeling more confident, Dean gripped Castiel by the back of the neck, pulled him in closer, and deepened the kiss. Castiel's mouth felt moist, cool, and so tempting. Dean felt exhilaration course through him at the thought that if Castiel wanted to, he could end this at any time, but he wasn't.

Their mouths parted slowly and the hint of tongue sent shivers through Dean. He ended the kiss with reluctance and pressed their foreheads together before he shuddered and took a deep breath.

"Whatever has possessed Lisa is not a demon," Castiel said. Their lips brushed as Castiel spoke and Dean could feel Castiel's cool breath puff against his cheek.

Dean pulled away, the name of his fiancée like a slap in the face. Castiel reached up and turned Dean's head until their gazes met. Dean felt a surge of frustration, and he slapped Castiel away, then pushed him up against the wall, pinning him to it.

"Then what the fuck has her?"

Castiel relaxed beneath his touch, and Dean slid a hand down his chest, frisking him and coming up with the angel sword in his hand. He held it up. "So it is just a sword and you're not just happy to see me." Dean slammed up against Castiel, full bodies pressed close, the hand with the sword on the wall just beside Castiel's left ear.

"I am always happy to see you, Dean," Castiel said with a tilt of his head.

Dean tossed the sword aside. It clattered to the floor, rolling to stop just a few feet away. When Dean turned his attention back to Castiel, the angel had his chin in the air.

"We need to get this over with," Dean said.

"Yes," Castiel said with a deep sigh of exasperation. He gripped Dean by his shoulders, and held him at arm's length. There was a flash and they both fell back and landed on a bed, Castiel atop Dean. He had no time to react, before their mouths mashed together. Dean pushed his tongue past Castiel's parted lips and groaned when the kiss sent shivers to his groin. He hadn't felt that way in months, and no amount of denial would change that.

Castiel pinned Dean to the bed, his kiss hungry and alive, burning through Dean like a fire. No matter how much they kissed or touched, it would never be enough. Dean felt the tug on his shirtsleeve and heard the rip of fabric. He broke the kiss and watched Castiel tear away the right sleeve of his shirt. Castiel discarded the fabric and stopped, staring down at the exposed skin. The burn mark Castiel had left there looked redder than before, and Dean stared up into Castiel's intense eyes, though his attention was no longer on Dean's face. Castiel flexed his hand above the mark and then met Dean's gaze.

Their bodies flush, Dean watched as Castiel hesitated just short of placing his hand down on the handprint. His body felt so alive, and each movement sent pleasure coursing through him. Dean slid his hand past the trench coat and suit jacket and tugged at the white dress shirt, yanking the rumpled shirt from Castiel's pants. Out of the corner of his eye, Dean watched as Castiel lowered his hand and placed it on the mark. He wasn't sure what to expect, but the moment Castiel's hand touched bare skin, the electric feel of the touch pulsed through Dean. His cock became fully erect, and Dean pulled Castiel to him by his tie, mashing their lips together and smothering his mouth with a hard kiss.

He knew it was insane. Just a few moments earlier, they had been standing in the living room, and then suddenly here they were up in Bobby's guest room, swapping spit like there was no tomorrow.

Not caring, hungry for more, Dean thrust against Castiel, pushing his aching cock against Castiel's hip, stunned when his cock pulsed. Dean licked and kissed Castiel's eager wet mouth.

"We should..." Castiel said between kisses.

"Be naked," Dean said. He tore at Castiel's clothes, yanking the coat and jacket off and tossing them aside. Each time, Castiel's hand broke contact with the burn on Dean's shoulder, Dean felt bereft, but then Castiel rushed to touch him again. The feeling was like fire and ice all at once, and Dean reached up to press Castiel's hand down harder, wishing it would scorch right through him.

Once Castiel was shirtless, Dean paused long enough to examine his body. There was not a mark on him. Dean swirled his fingers over the area on Castiel's chest where he'd once upon a time carved the banishment sigil, but not even a raised scar remained. Every inch of his body was pale and flawless, and Dean pushed Castiel up to lick at his unmarred chest. Castiel closed his eyes and tossed his head back, his body shivering beneath Dean's touch.

Dean tore at the rest of Castiel's clothes, anxious to get to more bare skin. He rolled them until he was on top and somehow managed to remove his flannel shirt and slip out of his t-shirt. Both shirtless now, Dean caressed every inch of Castiel's naked body. He pressed their hard cocks together, and scrambled to get both his and Castiel's pants undone. Both the zippers down and his own cock freed from confinement, Dean stuffed his hand down Castiel's pants and grabbed a hand full of his hard cock, squeezing it tight. The motion elicited a moan of pleasure from Castiel.

"Fuck," Dean mumbled against Castiel's wet mouth. He couldn't get enough. The hunger in him built, growing to the point that Dean was sure he would explode inside.

"Yes." Castiel's deep voice rumbled through Dean.

Dean stared down at Castiel's disheveled form. "We should slow down," said Dean. He wanted to enjoy every second of this stolen moment.

"Yes, we should," said Castiel. He pulled Dean down, silencing him with a rough kiss. The kiss turned soft, and Dean bit down on Castiel's bottom lip.

"This is bad timing," Dean mumbled while thrusting his tongue into Castiel's inviting mouth.

"Yes, it is." Castiel pushed Dean up, breaking the kiss. Startled, Dean stared down with wide eyes at Castiel. The next moment he found himself on the floor beneath Castiel, out of breath. Castiel straddled Dean across his hips and pinned him to the floor by his shoulders. The sight of Castiel panting all out of breath made Dean's dick jump.

Dean struggled beneath Castiel's weight, but Castiel's angelic strength was overpowering, which only turned Dean on more. He reached up and caressed Castiel's bare chest. His skin was cool and dry to the touch, and Dean couldn't resist pinching a nipple between his fingers.

Sitting up, Dean latched on to the peaked nipple, suckling on the flesh with relish. He rolled them and pushed Castiel to the floor to lay him out on his back, and then resumed his attack on the nipple, biting then laving it with his tongue. He gripped Castiel by the hips, brushing his thumbs over the protruding bone. Everything they did made him harder, and Dean pressed his erection against Castiel's thigh, humping him like an animal in heat. He could feel his orgasm building, and whatever Castiel said next was lost to Dean as he concentrated on gaining his release. Castiel muttered in some language Dean couldn't understand. Maybe it was Latin or maybe Enochian. He wrapped his mouth around Castiel's nipple and latched on, a desperate moan escaping him.

His cock ached and his balls tensed, Dean thrust one more time against Castiel's leg. When he looked up, he locked gazes with Castiel and the look in his eyes sent Dean over the edge. He grunted his release. His cock pulsed and with each pulse, Dean felt his body shudder with pleasure and mouthed a curse beneath his breath.

Dean relaxed, sprawling across Castiel. He closed his eyes and buried his face against Castiel's side, one hand still caressing Castiel's hip.

"Perhaps we should..."

"Fuck," Dean mumbled. The lethargy he'd felt just a few moments before vanished and Dean felt a jolt of reality set in. He sat up and turned away from Castiel, scrambling to tuck himself away and zip up his pants. Dean struggled to his feet and stood with his back to Castiel. The sound or wings filled the room and Dean turned to find that Castiel was gone.

Dean lowered himself to the bed, his heart pounding in his chest a feeling of guilt flooding through him. Dean should have been on his honeymoon right this second and instead he was here with Castiel, giving in to his base need to claim and take whatever Castiel had to offer. He couldn't help but feel that he had just betrayed Lisa and destroyed any chance of their future together. Despite that, deep down there was a part of Dean that couldn't regret a damned moment of what they had done together.

*4

Dean stared out at the morning light, the coffee in his cup stone cold. He took a sip anyway and tossed the rest over the edge of the front porch railing. The liquid splashed against the dry brittle grass and soaked into the thirsty ground, vanishing as quickly as Castiel had hours ago. He still hadn't returned from wherever it was that he'd run off, and they were still no closer to locating Sam or saving Lisa. Dean wondered where Cas had gone so suddenly. He assumed it was Heaven, but maybe he'd gone somewhere else. Dean couldn't help thinking the one thought that had run through his mind since Castiel left. Did Castiel regret what had happened? Shaking the thought away, Dean pulled out his cell phone. He'd checked on Ben a few hours ago and everything had been fine, but Dean felt the urge to call again just to be sure. He wasn't taking any chances, and not having Ben there with him where Dean could see for himself that the boy was safe put Dean on edge.

Taking a deep breath, Dean turned to go back inside, and stopped short when he found Bobby in the front doorway, blocking his path.

"If this drought doesn't end soon, you may have to water my lawn that way every day," Bobby said. "What gives? You've been moping since Cas took off." Bobby reached out and nudged Dean on the shoulder, as though that would prod him into speaking.

Dean turned away from his piercing gaze, and tucked his free hand in his jeans pocket, shaking his head.

"It's nothing," Dean mumbled. There was no way he would talk about what had happened the other night even if it was Bobby and Dean was almost sure that his friend would understand. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and tried not to think about how good Castiel had looked and felt.

This was getting him nowhere. In a flash of sudden resolve, Dean shouldered past Bobby into the house. Dean wasn't sure what was going on, but there was one thing he knew for sure. He couldn't wait around for Castiel to pop back into their lives. Dean needed to find his brother and it was time to get off his ass and stop moping.

Not that he'd admit to moping because there was no way Dean would ever indulge in feelings like that.

He packed his belongings and stomped back out of the house, stuffing his duffle bag in the back seat of the car Bobby had loaned him. It wasn't his Impala but it would get him where he needed to go.

Bobby watched without saying a word until Dean moved to get in the car, then grabbed Dean by the arm and stopped him. "Where the heck do you think you're off to?"

"I need to find Sam," Dean said. Shrugging Bobby off, he got in behind the wheel and slammed the door. Bobby leaned into the open window and stared down at Dean, his brow creased with worry. Dean started the engine.

"Be careful," Bobby said before he straightened and stepped away from the car.

Dean roared away from the house before Bobby could say anything else and before he could change his mind and beg Bobby to join him. He knew it was something he needed, wanted to do on his own.

The silence from the passenger seat was deafening. He turned the radio up loud enough to drown out all thoughts, ignored the trill of his cell phone, and paid attention to the open road before him. It was a long ride to the town where Bobby said he saw Sam, and he needed to get some road beneath him if he hoped to get there before sundown.

Dean barely noticed the time go by as he tapped a finger to the beat of AC/DC. The phone trilled again, and he turned down the music before flipping the phone open to see Castiel's number on the display.

"Yeah," Dean said. There was not another vehicle in sight and Dean could see miles of deserted road stretching before him.

"Where are you?" Castiel's gruff voice filled Dean's ear, sending shivers through him.

Dean pulled the phone away from his ear and glared at the little device as though it had insulted him, before replacing it and answering with a gruff, "On the road."

"That is what Bobby said," Castiel said. Dean could hear the frustration in Castiel's voice.

"I'm headed to Willow Springs to find Sam."

"He could be long gone," Castiel said.

"Maybe, but I have to start somewhere, unless you know where he is," Dean said.

"I wish I did, but I can not find him for the same reason that I can not find you."

Dean had forgotten about the carvings Castiel had burned onto their ribs that hid both he and his brother from Castiel.

"I will help you find him," Castiel said.

"Fine, but this time, we do things my way." There was a long pause on the other end of the line and Dean thought the angel had disconnected the call, until he heard a deep sigh on the other end.

"We will do things your way, but you need to tell me where you are."

A few miles later, Dean pulled into a full-serve gas station, stopping at one of the pumps, and turning off the engine.

Dean dialed Castiel's number, rolled down the window, and looked up at the gas station attendant as the man approached. He asked the man to fill up the tank, and then asked for the address of the place. He was about to relay the information to Castiel when the angel appeared in the passenger seat beside him with his cell phone to his ear. Dean fumbled his own cell phone, startled by the sudden appearance. Afraid the attendant had seen, he was about to chastise Castiel when he realized that the attendant had his back to them.

"Dean," Castiel said. He disconnected the call and put the phone away, and then turned intense eyes on Dean. Before Dean could say anything, Castiel shifted his gaze back onto the dash without another word.

Dean paid for the gas, ignoring the look of confusion on the man's face.

"Hey, weren't you alone when you pulled up?"

Dean ignored the remark and pulled out of the gas station. Much to Dean's relief, Castiel didn't say a word, just stared out the passenger window. Glad for Castiel's silence, Dean concentrated on the road. It was going to be a long drive. After a few miles, Dean relaxed a little, tension bleeding away with each mile and the realization that Castiel wasn't going to bring up what had happened the other night. The discomfort between them seemed to have passed for now. Dean kept his attention on the road ahead. It was already starting to get dark, and black clouds rolling in from the east, had blotted out the sun.

Dean reached out and turned on the music, killing the silence that vibrated in the air between them.

*

It was long past midnight by the time they reached Willow Spring, and Dean slowed down as he drove down the main street. The town was silent and nothing stirred in the darkness.

"We do this my way," Dean said. "You're just here for backup, understood."

Castiel nodded and followed Dean out of the car. A warm, dry wind kicked up some dust then faded just as fast as it had blown.

"We are alone," Castiel said, turning in a circle on the spot. Dean watched as Castiel scanned the area. His trench coat fluttered in a breeze, and then everything went silent again. Too silent.

"This way," Castiel said. He headed toward the same building they had been in the last time they were here. Dean yanked open the trunk, spun the lock and pulled his shotgun out. He thrust extra rock salt shells in his coat pocket and tucked a knife in his belt. He held out the handgun to Castiel, but he declined it. Castiel thrust out one arm and a sword appeared in his hand as though it had grown out of him. The deadly angel-killing weapon glinted in the dim light.

They advanced toward the building, Dean glancing behind them as they moved through the street. If anything tried to sneak up on them, it would get a nasty surprise. When they were on either side of the doorway into the building, Dean nodded for Castiel to go in ahead of him. Castiel held the sword up before him and moved slowly through the pitch-black entrance, and vanished in the darkness. Panicked, Dean rushed forward, bumping into Castiel who had stopped just a few feet beyond the door.

"I can go no further," Castiel said. He nodded at the second doorway. The walls were blank to Dean, but there had to be something there for Castiel to have stopped in his tracks.

"Angel wards," Dean said.

Castiel nodded confirmation.

"They weren't there the last time," Castiel said. "Something must have put them there to hide whatever is beyond those doors from my view."

"This could be it," Dean said. Of course, it couldn't have been as easy as walking in the building with Cas at his side, ready to teleport at the first sign of trouble. It never was, but Dean steeled himself, giving Castiel the shotgun and pulling his handgun out. He wished he'd brought heavier artillery.

"Here," Castiel said. He held out the sword for Dean to take. Their fingers brushed for a brief moment, and Dean felt an electric pulse flow through his body. He jerked away from temptation in the touch, grasping the sword in his hand and holding it before him.

"I'll be right back." Dean took a deep breath and walked through the doorway, gun in one hand and sword in the other. The entrance turned out to be empty of any threats, and Dean moved in farther. He stopped at the sound of muffled voices. They were just ahead and Dean readied his gun and tensed. All the muscles in his body hummed with the anticipation of what came next. He'd missed the adrenaline rush, the moment just before, not knowing if it would be a kill or if he'd have to run.

The voices stopped and Dean turned a corner to find the room empty. He slipped a penlight from his pocket and did a quick scope of the darkened area. He could just make out a smashed chair and table, and subdued light from the heavy drapes covering the window cut a wedge across the room. There were bits of broken glass scattered about as well as other signs of a struggle.

Dean moved into the room, careful not to tread on any of the shards. A piece crunched beneath his boot tread and Dean paused in his tracks. The sounds of another struggle were coming from the next room. Dean took another step, and as dark blur knocked him to the floor. He released the penlight and slashed out with the sword. The heavy weight on top of him rolled away with a grunt and jumped to its feet. Dean rolled in the opposite direction, and to his feet, spinning to face his opponent, ready to stab at whoever or whatever it was.

He didn't recognize his attacker, but he dove after Dean again. This time, there was enough space between them for Dean to fire his gun. The loud shot filled his ears in the enclosed space, and Dean flinched. Though Dean couldn't tell for sure in darkness, it was likely a possession since they took the hit and kept on coming. Dean didn't want to wait around to find out if his suspicion was correct. He lunged forward with the sword and pinned them against the wall like a butterfly on a mounting board, unsure what the weapon would do to someone with a demon in him. The man screamed in agony, and Dean pushed, holding him in place until he could pick up his penlight.

"I'm only going to ask once," Dean said, twisting the sword again. "Where is Sam Winchester?" Gleaming in the narrow beam of light, the black eyes filled with rage, and the man snarled at Dean. When he didn't say a word, Dean gave the sword another vicious twist.

"There," the man said, motioning with one arm at a door across the room. Dean pulled out the sword and plunged the blade of the demon-killing knife into the man's chest, watching the man writhe and scream. Dean yanked the knife from his chest and stepped back to watch him crumple to the floor, dead before he hit the ground.

Dean didn't waste any more time. He turned to the closed door and stood for a moment just staring. Sam was behind the door. He'd been out of Hell the whole time that Dean had stayed at that house with Lisa and Ben, and he hadn't said a word to Dean.

Dean hesitated for only a moment before turning the doorknob. The room behind the door was too dark to see anything, and Dean brought the penlight into play again. He moved with cautious steps, throwing light in every corner, but the room was empty. A muffled thumping was coming from another doorway, and Dean trained the light on what looked like a closet door. He rushed forward.

"Sammy?" He checked the closet and found the door locked. Dean pulled the gun and shot the lock off without a second thought. The door swung open and something rolled from the cramped space. It was Sam, his arms bound behind his back, and his mouth covered with a gag. Dean fell to his knees, reluctant to reach out and touch, fearing Sam wasn't real and it was all a dream. Sam rolled toward him, pressed his back against Dean's knees, and turned to look up at Dean. They locked gazes, and then Dean's heart pounded in his chest as he removed the gag, his fingers fumbling, tearing at the knotted fabric.

"Dean." Sam's voice was no more than a croak. He still wore the clothes he had on when Dean watched him jump into Hell. His torn t-shirt had some bloodstains smeared across it, and his wrists were bleeding. Dean pulled out his knife and sawed through the ropes binding Sam's hands. Once freed, Sam let out a sigh of relief. A quick examination revealed that he had superficial cuts and bruises on his face, arms, and chest, but was otherwise unharmed, so Dean helped Sam to his feet.

"We need to get out of here," Dean said. He urged Sam to move toward the doorway, and together they made their way out of the building. Dean held back on asking any questions. He had so many and wanted to grill his brother, but he knew that right now was not the time.

Castiel was still waiting outside, and the angel grabbed hold of a swaying barely conscious Sam once they were out of the building. He reached up and touched two fingers to Sam's forehead. Sam flinched beneath the touch and leaned against Castiel for support. Once he healed, he was able to stand on his own.

"Get us out of here, Cas," Dean said.

With a nod and a flash of blinding light, they were no longer in that dark town. Disoriented and shaken up, Dean wasn't sure where they were, but once the feeling had faded, he realized that it was still dark and they stood a few feet from the car. Dean settled Sam into the passenger seat of the car, slamming the door shut while Castiel stood looking skyward.

"I need to go," Castiel said.

Before Dean could respond, Castiel vanished. Heaving a sigh of relief and frustration all in one breath, Dean got in the car. Sam sat slumped in the front seat, his head against the door and his eyes closed. Dean reached around to buckle him in, and jumped when Sam caught him by the wrist.

"Where's Castiel?" Sam asked.

Dean felt a stab of hurt that Castiel was what Sam was most concerned with at a time like this, but he pushed it aside, although he didn't hide the fact that he was pissed at Sam.

"Gone." Dean started the engine. He tore away from the side of the road. It didn't take long for him to orient himself, and they headed in the direction of Bobby's place. Dean wasn't sure what else to do. He needed to get Sam someplace safe and he needed time to think. Sam sat silent, staring out the window not volunteering any information. Dean didn't want to push, but he needed to know where Sam had been all this time, why he hadn't told Dean he'd escaped the pit, and how he'd escaped.

By the time Dean pulled into Bobby's, Sam was fast asleep in the passenger seat and they'd still barely said a word to each other. Dean nudged him awake, felting a pang in his chest at the sight of his brother, yawning and stretching. He'd thought he'd never see him again, yet there he was, Sammy beside him in the passenger seat. Dean swallowed back the lump that had formed in his throat and climbed out of the car, slamming the door. When he spun around, he bumped into Castiel. Dean took a deep breath, cutting off a scream. They stood chest to chest, but Dean refused to budge. Castiel gave him the look of befuddlement that would usually make Dean smirk, but he wasn't in the mood. Dean felt Sam move in behind him, and he turned his head just enough to see his brother out of the corner of his eye.

"Cas," Sam said.

"Where have you been all this time?" Dean twisted his body until he was facing Sam.

"I wasn't gone that long," Castiel said.

Dean glared in his direction and pointed to Sam to indicate that he'd meant the question for his brother. When Sam remained silent, Dean realized that maybe they needed to have this out; a knockdown drag-out fight was just what the doctor ordered.

"Cas already told me that you've been out for almost a year," Dean said.

Sam took a deep breath and turned his gaze up to the sky. He didn't look tense or concerned in the least bit, and that angered Dean. Sam should have been grateful or excited or something, not simply standing there looking unconcerned. Dean moved to the trunk and unlocked it. He couldn't just stand there waiting. Besides, he needed to do a count of the ammunition and clean his shotgun. If he kept busy, then maybe he wouldn't explode into anger at what was happening right at this moment, wouldn't tear into Sam, because that was the last thing Dean wanted right now.

The problem was he wasn't sure what he wanted. The anger and resentment and bitter feelings swirling around in him threatened to boil over, and Dean needed to get control.

He could feel the weight of Sam's gaze on him, but Dean refused to turn around. He slammed the sword down into the trunk, and set his shotgun beside the long cool length of metal. Dean caressed the blade. He wondered what it had been forged out of and why it could kill angels. Dean picked up the blade again and held it in a firm grip, and then he took a deep breath and tossed the blade back in the trunk. When he turned to face Sam, he realized that his brother had been speaking, although he hadn't heard a word.

The ruffle of wing feathers filled the air, and Dean snatched up the sword, spun around with it in hand, and found Gabriel standing before him.

"Easy there," Gabriel said, eyeing the sword though, from his expression, Dean could tell that the angel was not afraid. Gabriel held his hands up before him in a gesture of surrender, and Dean lowered the sword.

"Does this thing even kill angels?" Dean said, waving the blade in the air between them.

"We should all go inside," Castiel said. He glanced up at the sky, where dark clouds were rolling in from the east. "I will explain when we are inside." Castiel headed toward the house, not waiting for them to follow.

When they were all in the house, Dean turned on Castiel. He saw Bobby and Jo enter the room out of the corner of his eye and heard the sharp intakes of breath when they saw Sam.

"What the hell is going on here?" Bobby demanded.

Gabriel sauntered over to the sofa and flopped down, arms and legs sprawled.

"I'm here to help," Gabriel said.

Dean wondered if Gabriel was there to help, whether it meant that anyone and anything could come back from the dead at any time. If that were true, then Dean didn't understand why anything he did mattered, why they were wasting their time chasing down the thing that had taken possession of Lisa. He was beginning to question the need, since if she died it seemed as though Castiel could just snap his fingers and presto, Lisa would be alive again, breathing like always. After all, Castiel had brought Jo back with just a touch.

Dean's head spun with these thoughts as he watched Gabriel pull a candy bar out of his jacket pocket. The wrapper crinkled and, Dean flinched again at the disgusting noises of pleasure that Gabriel made while he ate.

"I know what we're up against," Sam said.

Dean turned his attention to his brother, and for the first time, he really stopped to look at Sam. He looked a little tense but, other than that, he seemed fine. There was no concern in his eyes, no fear, nothing.

"That's why they had you trapped and they were going to trap you too." Gabriel made a casual wave at Dean. He finished the bar and tossed the empty wrapper on the floor. Dean glared down at the wrapper and at Gabriel who rolled his eyes at him and made the wrapper vanish. "God, I missed chocolate while I was away." Gabriel jumped to his feet and sauntered over to Castiel, throwing one arm around Castiel's shoulders. "We already have a strategy to get the bad guy." He pulled Castiel closer and gave him a squeeze, although Castiel looked uncomfortable.

"We don't have time for this," Sam said.

Everyone started shouting at once. Dean watched as his brother railed at Gabriel, and Castiel stood between them trying to pry them apart. Jo stood off to one side, arms crossed. Dean frowned at the feeble smile she threw Dean's way. Dean whistled for everyone to stop. When they were all silent and he had their attention, Dean threw his arms in the air with exasperation.

"Okay," Dean said. "Then if we have a plan, how about you letting us in on it and we can get this over with because I want my life back."

"No you don't," Gabriel said with a smug smirk. His nose wrinkled up and his eyes sparkled with mischief.

*5

Dean sensed that there was something up even before he felt the tug of dislocation. When the bright flash cleared, he stood in a field of tall grass. There was nothing as far as the eye could see. The vast featureless field went on forever until the horizon, and the sky was clear blue and cloudless. Although it was bright and sunny, and Dean had no shade to hide from the heat, he wasn't hot. The air was perfect, filled with the sweet smell of flowers.

Wherever he was, Dean was alone and weaponless.

Dean balled his hands into fists and screamed for Castiel. When nothing happened, he wrinkled his nose in disgust and muttered. "This is your doing, Gabriel." He picked a direction and began to walk. Dean could feel the anger building with each step he took, and when he saw Gabriel again, because there was no doubt that this was Gabriel's doing, Dean vowed to tear him a new one. Muttering one curse after another under his breath, Dean called the angel every nasty name he could think up while inventing new ones.

After what felt like hours of walking, Dean stopped in his tracks. He lifted his arm to shield his eyes from the sun, and squinted beneath the glare. The tree could have been a mirage, but Dean had nowhere else to go. He continued his journey and his cursing. It felt as though the tree got farther away the more he walked, but eventually, Dean could see the individual leaves and that there was a figure standing beneath them. Dean picked up the pace.

"I swear, if that is you Gabriel, I will kill your ass," Dean muttered as he ran. It wasn't Gabriel, but it was another angel. Castiel stood under the tree with his back to Dean. He turned at Dean's approach and tilted his head at Dean.

Dean stopped beneath the shade of the tree and stood before Castiel.

"I can't fly from here," Castiel said, answering Dean's first unspoken question. "And yes," Castiel added with a sigh of exasperation. "...this is my brother's doing."

The wind rustled the leaves in the branches and Dean looked down to see that there was a red and white checkered blanket laid out on the ground beneath the tree. A basket appeared before his eyes.

"Is that what I think...?" Dean asked even as he moved to examine the basket. He crouched down beside it and flipped the lid up. There was a wine bottle, two wine glasses, and an apple pie inside. Dean flipped the lid shut and stood.

Dean glanced down and realized that Castiel had not moved from his spot since Dean had arrived.

"I can't move. I have been rooted to this spot since I was forced here."

"Seriously?" Dean cocked a brow and looked up. "Get your sorry ass down here, angel of annoyance," Dean said, pointing at the ground.

Dean spun around when he heard the flurry of wings behind him.

"Hi, guys," said Gabriel with a cheerful wave of one hand.

"Get us back to the house now," Dean said. He rushed forward, bearing down on Gabriel who arched his back and leaned away from Dean.

"Nope," he said, batting his eyes a few times. Dean felt the displacement again and, when he could open his eyes against the glare of bright lights, he found himself standing beside Gabriel with Castiel on Gabriel's other side. Gabriel had his arms around their shoulders.

"Gabriel," Castiel growled and tried to shrug him off, but Gabriel wasn't having any of that.

"You two lovebirds are going to work out your thing," Gabriel said, slapping them both on the cheeks as he spoke.

Dean flinched and barely had time to process what Gabriel was saying before the angel vanished from between them. He lost his balance and fell into Castiel. Lucky for Dean, Castiel seemed to have a perfect sense of balance. He caught Dean before he could fall flat on his ass.

"What the hell?" Dean said, thanking Castiel with a nod. They both straightened and turned around at the sound of wings behind them.

"Yup," Gabriel said. He had a smug expression on his face and his arms were crossed. "This thing you two got going..." he motioned at the two of them, crossed his fingers, and rolled his eyes at them."It needs to be resolved pronto before you explode."

Dean lunged at Gabriel, but Castiel stopped him with a firm hand on his chest.

"There's nothing between us," Dean said, curling his lip with a sneer.

"Tsk, tsk," Gabriel said. He wagged a finger in Dean's face. "You two crazy kids work this out. We'll take care of finding the big baddie. Don't worry," Gabriel leaned forward and slapped them both on their shoulders. "I've got everything under control."

With those words, Gabriel vanished, leaving them alone. Dean lunged forward and grasped at thin air.

"Get us out of here, Cas," Dean said, rage bubbling over. It was insane. Something had possession of Lisa, and was at that moment doing who knew what to her and Gabriel was playing matchmaker. Dean balled his fists and thumped his own leg turning on the spot in frustration.

"I can't," Castiel said.

Dean twirled around to find Castiel standing with his head down, a scowl on his face. Dean watched Castiel take a deep breath and concentrate, but nothing happened. Castiel's shoulders sagged and he shook his head with defeat.

"You have to do something," Dean said.

Castiel's rueful expression said it all. Dean knew that if Castiel could do something, he would have already done whatever it was that he could have done. Dean's heart sank.

"I will have words with Gabriel when he returns," Castiel said.

"I'm going to do more than have words with him," Dean said. He threw his arms in the air and walked over to the base of the tree, sitting down on the grass to lean against the trunk. There was nothing else to do. Trapped there, they had no other choice but to wait until Gabriel saw fit to return. He settled against the trunk and closed his eyes.

Castiel sighed, and then Dean heard the whisper of cloth as the angel sat down close to him. "I apologize for my brother."

"You know your brother's a total dick," Dean said.

"I am aware of this," Castiel said. "Gabriel has always been the troublemaker in the family."

"No kidding." Dean cracked one eye open and looked at Castiel, who sat leaning against the tree with one knee bent up and an arm resting on the knee. A warm breeze ruffled Castiel's short hair, and Dean felt the urge to reach out and run his fingers through the soft spikes.

"I do realize that he has been a consistent source of irritation in your life," Castiel said, a rueful expression on his face.

"He killed me a million times, so yeah, I would say he's a source..." Dean made air quotes. "...of irritation in my life."

Castiel tilted his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. A sigh of exasperation escaped his lips. They sat like that for a while in silence. Dean started to realize there was something weird about this place and then it hit him. The only sound he could hear was the wind. There were no birds, insects, or anything. He looked down at the ground, giving it a closer examination. He couldn't see any bugs.

The silence stretched and the sun seemed to hover in the sky, though in truth it had moved across the horizon. Castiel sat plucking grass from the ground and tossing it into the air.

"This is crazy," Dean said. "We have a bad guy to catch. Doesn't he understand that?" The words seemed to echo, filling the air around them. He turned to face Castiel, who stopped what he'd been doing to look up at Dean.

"I've tried to contact anyone I could, but I seem to be cut off from Heaven," Castiel said. Dean could see the expression of fear build in Castiel's eyes. The last time Heaven had been out of his reach, Castiel had almost turned human. Dean could just imagine the dread going through him at this moment.

"Screw this," Dean said. He lunged forward and cupped Castiel's shoulder with one hand, yanking the angel closer so that he could press their mouths together. Castiel gave into the kiss without hesitation. Dean rolled them to a more comfortable position, where he lay atop Castiel, their legs tangled together. He placed one hand on the back of Castiel's neck, shivering at the tickle of small hairs against his palm.

When they pulled apart, Dean took a deep breath and rested his forehead against Castiel's forehead. He brushed his thumb across Castiel's parted lips and stared into his eyes. They looked so blue, bluer than Dean could remember them being. Maybe it was the sky above them or maybe it was something else; Dean didn't know. All he knew for sure at that moment was that he wanted to kiss Castiel hard again and he never wanted to stop. He mashed their mouths together, and Castiel made a sound deep in his throat much like a growl. He flipped Dean over and pinned him against the cool grass, and Dean deepened the kiss, hungry for more. His dick was hard, and he thrust up against Castiel, who broke the kiss to stare down at Dean.

"This feels good," Castiel said in that weird awkward way he had of saying things that made it sound like he was stating a fact he had just discovered.

Dean nodded agreement and pulled Castiel down to crush their lips together again. The more they kissed, the more Dean wanted. He tilted his head and licked Castiel's wet mouth once, twice, then a third time when he got the desired reaction from Castiel. Dean was sure he hadn't whimpered when Castiel broke the kiss and straddled Dean's hips, well, maybe he had just a little, but it felt so good.

Castiel felt so good.

Castiel stroked Dean's chest with both hands, taking his time as he felt every curve of his muscles and Dean bucked up again, looking down at his obvious erection. Castiel's own pants bulged, and Dean grabbed Castiel by the thighs. It was so much different from being with a woman. Castiel had stubble and his body was all hard lines, no soft curves, and his chest was flat. Dean sat up and yanked Castiel's trench coat off, pushing it aside, then he slid his suit jacket from his shoulders. That time, when their eyes locked, Dean's breath hitched and he felt naked trapped in Castiel's intense gaze.

"Can you read my mind?" Dean said, the sound of his own husky voice taking him by surprise.

When Castiel nodded, Dean could hold back no longer. He pushed Castiel back, pinning him beneath him and smothered another kiss against his lips. He wanted to brand him so the whole world could see that the man, the angel, belonged to Dean Winchester. Dean sat up, startled at his thoughts. He looked up to the sky, expecting retribution for his blasphemy. It must be against all laws of nature or Heaven or something but, when nothing happened, just as it hadn't the last time they had done the horizontal tango, and all he could hear around them was their combined panting breaths, Dean bent to kiss Castiel again.

The kiss was slow and languorous and this time Dean took his time, made sure to taste every corner of Castiel's hungry mouth, sucking on his bottom lip, licking the wet mouth. Castiel bucked against him and made a sound deep in his throat. Dean smiled against Castiel's full lips, and rubbed his thumb across Castiel's cheek, enjoying the feel of soft stubble, and then kissed him again.

With the leaves rustling above them, Dean divested Castiel of his shirt and tie, taking care to caress and touch every inch of skin that he exposed. Castiel remained silent, attention riveted to Dean.

Dean stared down at Castiel's perfect skin, wondering how he could have ever marred that flesh with any knife. Dean bent to kiss and lick warm skin, shivering when Castiel touched a hand to Dean's head. He thought how he should have been terrified of what he was feeling, but he wasn't. It had been a long time coming. Dean could remember the exact moment that he had looked at Castiel and felt his insides flip at the thought of just how deeply his feelings ran for him. He remembered how just two years before, he had stopped and stared at Castiel, wondering when his feelings had changed and what to do about them.

He gripped Castiel's hips and nipped his belly, satisfied when Castiel quivered beneath him. Dean sat up and stripped to his waist. When Castiel reached up and placed his hand on the brand on Dean's shoulder, Dean's breathe hitched. He collapsed forward and kissed Castiel hard, gripping the back of his neck with one hand.

"I am going to make you shout so loud, the whole world will hear," Dean said against Castiel's mouth. Their eyes locked, and Dean knew now where his heart truly belonged. Before he could dwell on that thought, he lay down on top of Castiel, kissed him, unbuttoned his pants, and then Castiel's. Dean startled at the warm smooth skin of Castiel's cock in his palm. He stroked the length once then twice. His own cock jumped against the fabric of his briefs, and then Castiel's hand was on Dean's cock. Dean shuddered and felt his body soar. They brought each other off with rough, urgent strokes, right there beneath that tree, sprawled out on the grass. Castiel made no sound as he came in Dean's hand. Dean gentled him with kisses, caresses, and soft words muttered so low no ears could hear them. They lay in the grass, spent, staring up at the sky, leaves fluttering in the wind.

"You didn't make a sound."

"Trust me. I did," Castiel said with a nod and a satiated grin.

Dean meant to say something more. He wasn't sure what, but before he could, the tree vanished and a bright light flashed, forcing Dean to cover his eyes. When he uncovered them, they were no longer in the peaceful field.

Dean spun around, disoriented. He and Castiel were dressed and standing in the main street of Willow Springs.

"Congratulations!" Confetti fell from the sky, and Gabriel appeared before them. Castiel didn't look pleased to see his brother. He pulled back one fist and punched Gabriel across the mouth. Gabriel spun and fell to one knee. When he looked up, he had a smile on his face and blood on one corner of his mouth.

"You are such a dick," Castiel said, shaking out his fist. It must have hurt. Dean would know; he'd once tried to punch an angel and had almost broken every bone in his hand for his trouble.

Gabriel stood up and raised a hand in surrender, swiping at the blood on his mouth.

"No need to thank me," Gabriel said with a smug smile. Castiel lunged forward, grabbing Gabriel by the collar again. "Whoa, wait. We don't have time for this," Gabriel said. He pulled Castiel off with ease and pointed. Dean turned his attention to where Gabriel was pointing. Sam and Bobby were tearing down the street with guns in their hands. Dean rushed to meet them, leaving Castiel and Gabriel behind. Bobby handed Dean a gun, too breathless to explain.

"We missed everything," Dean said, glaring at Gabriel.

"Nope," Gabriel said with a smile. Dean turned to see a group of people walking toward them, Lisa at the lead, and she didn't look happy. She still wore the wedding dress. Dean could see that she was muddy and her bare feet looked cut. She left behind bloody footprints with each step she took. Dean felt his stomach clench at the thought of what she must have gone through in the time she'd been possessed.

"If you hurt her," Dean cried out. He raised his weapon and aimed for her shoulder.

She stopped a few feet from them and smirked. Some of the people from the wedding part stood behind her, their eyes black as midnight. Lisa's eyes were also black, but Dean could swear he saw red flash in them.

"Where have you been, Dean? I've missed you," she said. She raised one hand in the air.

"I know who you are," Sam said, stepping forward.

"End of the line, boys and girls," Lisa said, turning her attention to Sam. Moments later, Sam exploded, flesh and blood and bone flying everywhere, like bits of shrapnel, spraying Dean across his front. Dean shuddered with the shock, clawing at bits of his brother that had stuck to him. He stood rooted to the spot too stunned to do anything else until he felt his heart thud in his chest with fear, and then anger built in him.

"No!" Dean screamed and rushed forward and found himself stopped in his tracks. Moments later, he flew a few feet away from Lisa, landing on his front with the wind knocked out of him. Bobby followed, landing almost on top of Dean.

Lisa turned her attention to Castiel and Gabriel. With an expression of surprise on his face, Gabriel disappeared in a blinding flash of light. Dean screamed out and he watched Castiel fly through the air and smash into a storefront, vanishing into the darkness of the store, rubble collapsing around him.

Dean scrambled after his weapon. Lisa stomped over to him and lashed out with a kick to Dean's stomach. He fell to the ground, clutching at his abdomen.

"I have waited..." Lisa said, punctuating each word with another kick to Dean. "...for a long time to get back at you, Dean Winchester. I hate every fiber of your being." Even with her small frame, the power behind the demon that had possession was strong. Dean fell back with each blow, feeling his life and hope seep away. He was not going to get free, and there would be no intervention, no last minute reprieve. With Sam dead, this time forever, and Castiel likely in a similar state, Dean wasn't even sure he wanted one. It was the big one, the final death, and part of Dean welcomed it. At least his struggle would be over, and if Lisa did somehow manage to survive, he wouldn't have to be there to watch what happened next.

Dean lay on his back, every inch of him crying out with pain. He squinted up at Lisa, who now stood over him, black eyes flashing red. The demon in her twisted Lisa's beautiful features into an ugly mask of hatred, and Dean wished that he had never dragged her and Ben into his fucked up life, a life where something was always gunning for him. Lisa would pay the ultimate price with her life.

He couldn't let that happen.

"You son of a bitch." Dean ground each word out through clenched teeth. He tried to stand, but Lisa smashed him down with one bare foot in the small of his back. Dean heard and felt some rib bones crack and he screamed out in pain. The foot slammed into his back repeatedly. Dean looked over and saw the demon knife just a few feet away.

If only he could somehow reach that knife.

He stretched out, his fingers a few inches short of reaching the knife. A crashing sound on the left caught Lisa's attention. When Dean looked up, he saw Castiel climb from the rubble. His eyes flashed with anger like Dean had never seen before.

"This ends here!" Castiel boomed. Windows all around them shattered at the sound of his voice.

"Ooh," Lisa said, both hands rose in the air in mock surrender. "That's what you think."

A wind ruffled Dean's hair and the air all around them crackled. There was a loud popping sound and Sam appeared out of thin air, gasping for breath. He glared at Lisa and rushed to Dean's side. Relief filled Dean when Sam touched his arm and helped him rise to his feet. Rafael appeared next with a flash of lightning, long tendrils spread out from his shoulders, licking at the air.

He and Castiel moved forward and moments later, Gabriel appeared beside Castiel. The angels stood between the demon horde and the Winchesters. Dean moved forward, clutching at Sam afraid to let him go.

"No, Zachariah," Rafael said. Though he spoke the words in a low tone, they boomed through the air, filling Dean with dread.

"That's what I was trying to tell you," Sam said, looking at Dean. His long hair tangled and danced in the rising wind.

Lisa looked past the angels to Dean. "That's right, Dean boy," Zachariah said with a snarl, somehow twisting Lisa's voice to make it sound like Zachariah's.

"But I killed..." Dean stepped closer to him.

"Where do you think an angel goes when it dies?" Zachariah raised his arms. The anger burning in her eyes flared and Dean cried out when her eyes caught fire. "Some of us were brought back." Zachariah continued speaking, turning to look at the demons behind him. They moved back, giving him room to pace. "But some of us went in another direction and we're not limited in who we can wear."

"He's a demon now," Castiel said.

"No shit," Dean muttered, too stunned to say anything else.

Lisa's body closed in on them, the fire in her eyes gone now. Her eyes appeared intact, the same dark brown that Dean had come to know over the past year.

Dean had snatched the demon-killing knife from the ground when no one was looking and he gripped the handle tighter, keeping it out of view. He didn't want to use it on Lisa, but he knew she wouldn't want to live her life like this, and he knew there was no way Zach was releasing her intact.

He closed in on Dean, one hand raised like a claw. Dean jumped back when Zachariah sliced at the air, but it was obvious he wasn't trying to hurt Dean.

"You insignificant prick," he said with a snarl of her lips. Dean felt bile rise in his throat at the sight. "I clawed my way up from the deepest pit of Hell to get here, just so I could destroy your life. I wanted you to feel just an inkling of what I felt when you snuffed out my existence. You can't even begin to understand what you did when you killed me."

"Oh I think I know exactly what I did," Dean said. A feeling of calm resolution came over him as he stood there, back straight, staring down the ex-angel now demon.

"You will not get away with this," Rafael said. He lowered his head and concentrated on Zachariah.

Zachariah spun and faced the three angels who stopped in their tracks. "What are you going to do to stop me, brother?" Zachariah rushed at Rafael, eyes blazing black again.

Castiel stepped forward, arms raised.

"NO!" Dean rushed toward them, but slammed into an invisible barrier before he could interfere. "Cas," Dean turned his attention on Castiel. "Don't hurt her."

Castiel only glared in his direction before turning his attention back to his task. It seemed to take almost no effort. Dean watched as the three angels stood on one side against a small, possessed woman. Zachariah stood his ground, head held high.

"I'll just go back to Hell and make my way out again," he declared. "Maybe next time, I'll use that little runt, Ben." He sneered at Dean.

"We can't allow that to happen," Castiel said. He pulled something from his pocket, and held it up. Dean rushed forward again but stopped short of the barrier when he saw what Castiel held up. The four horsemen's rings glittered in the light, blinding Dean, and he swallowed hard against the pain as he whispered, "This isn't happening. This can't be happening."

Lisa was about to die, and there wasn't a damned thing Dean could do to stop it. Dean turned all his anger and frustration on Castiel, watching helpless to stop this, while Castiel began to chant the words that would open the portal to Lucifer's cage. The wind picked up around them and within moments, a wide gaping hole opened up between Zachariah and the angels. Zachariah turned to look at Dean.

"Well," he shrugged. "Maybe I didn't get everything I wanted, but the look on your face right now is priceless. So long, Dean." He threw an irreverent wave at Dean and with those last words, Zachariah rushed at the hole.

"No!" Dean stumbled forward, slamming against the barrier. He pounded on the invisible shield with both fists, but it held. Helpless to stop it, Dean watched a smiling Zachariah take Lisa's body over the edge. At the same moment, the barrier vanished, and Dean fell forward, barely regaining his footing before he hit the ground. Dean sunk to his knees on the spot where the hole had been, but it was too late. He knelt on the ground, hands clawing at the soil, tears burning in his eyes.

"Dean." Castiel's voice was soft and tainted by regret.

Someone touched Dean on the shoulder and he wanted to lash out. He wanted to tell Castiel where to go but, instead, he turned to look up through the haze of tears into Sam's sad eyes. Dean swiped at the tears, taking Sam's offered hand. When he got to his feet, Dean stood numb and unable to move, gaze focused on the spot where Lisa had vanished, gone for good. She was right at this moment, trapped in Hell, screaming in pain for an eternity all because of him. He felt numb inside as he wondered what he was supposed to tell Ben.

Sam squeezed Dean's shoulder. At least Sam wasn't dead, wasn't a million bits of bone and blood and tissue smeared all over the field, despite the remnants of Sam's earlier fate still clinging congealed to Dean's clothes and skin. Dean kept staring with a heavy heart at where Zachariah had jumped taking Lisa with him into the bowels of Hell. Sam squeezed Dean's shoulder again.

Dean raised his gaze up to look into Sam's eyes. He knew he would find empathy there, and Dean leaned forward to wrap his arms around his brother. They stood in the full embrace for a long time. Dean didn't want to let go because if he did, then he might lose Sam again.

He never wanted to lose Sam again.

*

The angels were gone, leaving Dean and Sam alone. Bobby had vanished.

Dean drove while Sam sat silent in the passenger seat. They hadn't said much since leaving the field where Lisa died. He wasn't thinking of his own wounds, physical or emotional. All he could think about was Ben. Dean's mind reeled with the words of how he would break the news to Ben.

"You couldn't have known," Sam said. The words were a whisper, followed by silence. Dean couldn't think what to say to that. He knew. He'd always know there was no way that he could ever have a normal life. Something would always gun for him. It was his destiny, his fate as a hunter.

The rain started then, and within moments, the road was drenched, making it impossible to see more than a few feet in front of them. Dean slowed and pulled to the side of the road, leaving the engine idling.

"I got his mother killed. I was stupid to think..." Dean stopped and leaned against the steering wheel, weary. His body ached. His heart ached. Everything ached.

Sam reached out and squeezed Dean's shoulder again. "I'm so sorry," Sam said.

Sam sat with his head bowed, and the rain intensified. Dean turned his gaze up and said a silent prayer.

*

They found Bobby at home, Crowley having scooped him away from the mess with the angels and demons. Bobby was silent as they entered the house and he pulled Dean into a long, deep hug, arms wrapped tightly around him. Dean didn't want to let go, but then he stepped aside, hardly aware that he did so. He stood staring, blind, so lost in thought that he didn't hear the rush of wings.

Dean turned and found himself face to face with Castiel. Behind him, Sam and Bobby exchanged mirrored pats on the back and shoulder squeezes. The room went silent, and someone cleared their throat.

"I need to..." Sam said.

Dean turned to find his brother, waving one hand with in the vague direction of the stairs to the second floor. "I think I'll go take a shower. It's been a long few weeks." He patted Dean on the back. "I'll tell you all about it later."

Dean nodded and didn't protest or stop him. He watched Sam leave to go up the steps to the second floor, thinking all the while that he wished Castiel would get the fuck away from him. He caught Castiel's flinch out of the corner of his eyes as the thought took shape, but found he couldn't care. Bobby was there one second then Crowley was right behind him.

"What say we go have a little reunion of our own," Crowley said, placing a proprietary hand on Bobby's shoulder. Bobby didn't protest or brush him off. Dean considered that he was going to have to get a straight answer out of him about this whole Crowley hanging around thing. It was obvious that there was more going on here than Bobby was letting on. Right then, all Dean wanted was sleep. He was bone-tired and weary of all of it, too aware that his life fucked up everyone else around him, and Lisa had paid a price much too high for Dean's liking. He turned on Castiel once Bobby and Crowley vanished from the room.

"I have nothing else to say to you," Dean said, careful to keep his voice steady. He wasn't about to let on how much he wanted to scream, or how much he wanted to push Castiel down and crush him into the floor until there was nothing left of him.

How much he wanted to grab him, and kiss him all in one breath.

He wouldn't give the universe the satisfaction, but the thought of losing Castiel again made him sick to his core.

Dean knew it was ten kinds of fucked up.

"Dean," Castiel said. He took a step closer and reached out for Dean, but Dean ducked the touch, turning his back on Castiel. "I am sorry about what happened. I wish that it had not gone down that way. I wish I could change things. I wish..."

Dean grunted in something like disbelief, shaking Castiel's touch off and stomping across the room away from his grasp. Dean felt the rush of wind on his back, and the heavy presence behind him. He spun around ready for blood but stopped, his voice caught in his throat.

"Dean," the soft ethereal sound of her speaking his name made Dean shudder. Lisa stood right behind Castiel, watching Dean through long dark lashes. Her eyes held unshed tears.

Dean almost missed the look of regret in Castiel's eyes as he moved past him to scoop Lisa up into his arms, not believing that she was real until he held her.

"Lisa," Dean said against her neck, burying his face there to take in her familiar scent.

Castiel had somehow brought her back to him.

"I'm here," Lisa said, squeezing Dean tight. They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity and, once the heavy pounding of Dean's heart steadied, he pulled back to stare at her. Her soft brown eyes were no longer so innocent. He didn't want to contemplate what she must have seen, and been forced to do while Zachariah had control of her body. Dean felt a lump form in his throat.

"I am..." Dean choked on the apology. No words could erase what had happened. She'd seen Hell and she'd seen the worst Dean's life had to offer. He gripped her shoulders and looked into her eyes, searching for that sweet innocent woman he had known for the past year.

Lisa reached up to place a hand, so soft and so gentle on his cheek. Dean could no longer bear those eyes. He looked away to find that they were alone. Castiel had fled.

He was a fool to think that it would end well. He knew he should let her go, let his dream of a normal life go, but Dean flinched at the thought, and then turned around to face Lisa again. She stared at him with fear, dread, anticipation, and so much more, that it made Dean's heart clench.

"It's not your fault," Lisa said.

Dean wanted to believe that, but there was no sugar coating any of it. "Um, Ben is safe," he said, gesturing behind him as if he could make her son appear from nowhere. His throat closed up, words trapped, thoughts lost.

"I know," Lisa said with a nod. "Castiel told me." Hearing his name on her lips broke Dean. He could feel the tears brim in his eyes and he fought them off, desperate to be strong for her. He swallowed his pain and managed to stave off the strong emotions.

Dean nodded and kept nodding unable to say anything more, but he had to say something. He knew without a doubt that this was what needed to be. His heart lay elsewhere and there was no denying that to him or to her.

"I can..." Dean wanted to turn away from her soft, understanding gaze, but he didn't. "I'll make sure that you and Ben are safe." Dean swallowed and reached out to cup her shoulders. They trembled beneath his touch.

"I can't do this, Dean," Lisa said. "I can't keep looking over my shoulder wondering what will happen next or what will tear my life apart. I have Ben to think about and your life is too dangerous. It's..." she paused and swallowed hard, pleading gaze on Dean.

"I..." Dean felt at a loss for words. With those heavy words dropped between them, he almost breathed a sigh of relief because Lisa had made his choice easier.

"This is what you're meant to be," Lisa said. Her voice soft now, and her eyes filled with tears. "Your destiny is to be a hunter and mine..." she shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her hands."We're just not meant to be."

Dean stood numb and didn't resist when Lisa placed the engagement ring he'd given her just a few months before in the palm of his hand. Her touch scorched him; a taste of what he could never have and a reminder of shattered dreams. He nodded his agreement and glanced away to see Sam standing at the bottom of the stairs, a look of empathy on his face.

Lisa turned from Dean with one last smile and left the room.

Unable to take the look of sympathy in Sam's eyes, Dean hurried from the room and yanked the front door open, stomping down the steps to stand outside in the crisp cold air. It was a refreshing change from the stifling feeling of the inside of the house, and he breathed in deep, wishing the day would end.

"Cheer up," a familiar voice behind him said. "You saved the girl."

Dean spun to find Crowley standing a few feet away with Bobby beside him. Rage filled Dean at the interruption. He rushed forward and grabbed the demon by the collar, getting in his face.

"Get the fuck out of our lives," Dean said. Even to him, he sounded more broken than menacing. Crowley brushed him away with ease and spun to sling an arm over Bobby's shoulder.

"No dice," Crowley crowed.

For his part, Bobby flinched and looked to Dean like he wished to be anywhere else but there. Dean stopped and stared, narrowed his eyes and looked from Bobby to Crowley. Bobby had said that Crowley had given back his soul and that he was courting Bobby, as ridiculous as that sounded, but Dean doubted that was the whole truth. He questioned why Crowley was still hanging around and why the hell Bobby was putting up with the bastard.

"We are official," Crowley said, holding his left hand up with fingers spread like someone showing off, but his hand was naked, bare. There was nothing to show off. Crowley stopped and stared at his hand with wonder. "Oops, silly me," he said with a coquettish grin. It made Dean queasy.

Dean looked to Bobby who groaned and couldn't look Dean in the eyes.

"You know what," Dean said, holding his hands up to stop them both before they spoke. "I don't fucking care. I don't care..." Dean flailed his arms at them. He was sure that he would lose all sanity before the day was done, if he hadn't done so already. He turned away from them and looked up to the sky.

"Your boyfriend won't help you now," Crowley said.

Dean rounded on him, the look in his eyes enough to shut Crowley down. He watched as Bobby matched his glare and, in the blink of an eye, the demon vanished leaving Dean alone with Bobby.

The silence fell between them and, though Dean was furious with Bobby, he knew that it wouldn't take much for him to forgive his friend.

"I'm sorry," Bobby said, taking a step closer to Dean then stopping in his tracks, obvious that he had rethought his approach. "He never gave my soul back. I... you were right. I was a fool. He gave it back but only on one condition." Bobby fell silent.

Dean didn't turn to face Bobby. He couldn't look the man in the face. Dean didn't want to be right. Bobby who was so strong and yet he'd given in to a demon - something Dean never thought would happen.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the retreating footfalls.

Dean swiped a hand across his face and looked up at the sky, thinking the name but unable to speak it past the lump that had formed in his throat. A gentle hand fell on his shoulder and Dean turned around, his silent prayer answered. Castiel stood with a look of contrition on his face, blue eyes soft with what looked like sorrow.

Dean cleared his throat. "Lisa okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I made sure she and Ben would be taken care of," Castiel said. He reached up and placed his hand on Dean's cheek, compassion radiating from his fingers.

Dean bowed his head, and closed his eyes, blinded by the brightness before him. He opened them again at the soft caress on his cheek. Dean knew he only needed to take that last step. Something deep inside him knew that it was his fate and, if he made the choice to be with Castiel, it meant forever. He knew angels didn't do things halfway.

Deep down inside, Dean knew where he belonged.

Dean slipped his arm around Castiel's waist and pulled him in close, sealing his fate with a kiss and a whisper of words he never spoke aloud. He opened his eyes, stared into the depths of Castiel's eyes, and finally felt that he had found his normal world.

End

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my wonderful beta readers who always make me look good, Alee and danceswithgary. Also thanks to stagemystic for audiencing. Remaining errors are my own. A huge thank you to extraonions http://extraonions.livejournal.com/92536.html for the amazing, wonderful, beautiful art she made for this story. For the deancasbigbang


End file.
